It's been a year since my post "A Spring In The Era of the Coronavirus Pandemic." How much has changed?

It's been just over a year and 2.7 million deaths since the invasion of the Covid-19 virus -- with well over 100 countries worldwide, either in a full or partial lockdown by the end of March 2020, affecting billions of people. What has changed?

Vaccines! They're here. So many of my conversations with friends/family/peers this time last year were praying for them; that they would be a lifesaver.

Although returning to normalcy is taking baby steps, seniors have become the life of the party. They represent the vast majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated against the virus, and are filling restaurants, hugging grandchildren, and booking flights.

In New York, restaurants are open at 50% capacity. In addition,

 

• Large outdoor performing arts venues that hold more than 2,500 people can reopen at 20% capacity. 
• Stadiums and arenas with 10,000 or more seats can operate at 20% capacity, up from 10%.
• Sports venues that hold up to 1,500 people indoors can reopen with 10% capacity.
• Sports venues that hold up to 2,500 people outdoors can reopen with 20% capacity.
• Movie theatres are open at 25% capacity.

While the aforementioned allow a sense of normalcy, Covid19 remains a dire threat, and as the unvaccinated population wait their turn, masks and social distancing are still necessary.

It Is Insidious. No one is exempt. Fortunately, children are less likely to suffer the horrors the elderly have suffered, or the poor, or those with underlying medical conditions; in other words, the most vulnerable.

The cruelty of no hugging and touching those dying is unfathomable. Now, as inoculations of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are steadily increasing, is it safer for seniors in nursing homes or the very sick to receive visitors?

There have been welcome-back parties, birthday celebrations, coffee hours on the patio, and more.

"To allow visits, it is recommended all residents (e.g. of a nursing home) be vaccinated (unless they have some condition or allergy that would discourage vaccination on medical grounds); all staff members be vaccinated; and visitors test negative for the coronavirus and have been disciplined about wearing a mask in public settings.

Long-Haulers. There are no definitive answers as to why some experience symptoms for months after contracting the disease. Some of the first to catch the virus are still experiencing debilitating symptoms that have made it impossible to live life as they have -- leading to job loss and an inability to read or study, let alone exercise.

“We don’t understand why the body is responding in this way,” said Dr. David Putrino, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for The Mount Sinai Health, who researches these so-called “long-haul” patients. He estimated that about 90 percent of participants in the hospital’s long-hauler program, which has a median age of 42, didn’t require hospitalization during Covid19.

Variants. The virus is mutating; its highly contagious variants found all over the world. Are the current vaccines effective against them? Emerging data suggest they remain protective. 

However, as cases and deaths decline nationwide, federal health officials have repeatedly warned against loosening restrictions too quickly, fearing that the moves may set the stage for a fourth surge of infections and deaths.

"The whole point of a vaccine is that it prevents you from dying or ending up in the hospital, but you may still get sick.” 

Pointing The Way Out Of The Pandemic. In Israel, Covid19 cases fell dramatically and quickly among people who were vaccinated. It’s the strongest evidence yet that a robust vaccination program can tame the pandemic.

Maccabi Healthcare Services reported that out of 416,900 people it had vaccinated, only 254 had gotten Covid-19 a week after their second dose, and all of the cases were mild. Comparing these rates to unvaccinated people, the researchers estimated that the vaccine has an effectiveness of 91 percent.

Zoom. Has helped us to touch and communicate with one another virtually. Before lockdown, my only zoom webinar was with Audubon about bird migration. Since, I've participated in/watched countless webinars -- from birthday and holiday celebrations to the most recent on Luigi Del Bianco, the chief carver of Mt. Rushmore. Zoom has been a blessing.

In Closing. In the year since March 2020, there have been ordinary challenges, unrelated to Covid19. Yet, as we patiently wait for the virus to disappear, wearing a mask and social distancing have become as necessary as taking vitamins and exercising.

The CDC says.

Fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with others who are also fully vaccinated, without wearing masks or physical distancing if you choose, because the chance of anyone getting infected would be remote.

You can also spend time inside with unvaccinated people from a single household without wearing masks or physical distancing if you choose, as long as no one is at increased risk for severe Covid-19, and no one lives with somebody who's at increased risk as well. That means you can visit and hug your unvaccinated children and grandchildren. 

What's important is to keep two unvaccinated households from mingling. 

"What is safe for newly vaccinated Americans and their unvaccinated neighbors and family members has been uncertain in large part because scientists do not yet understand whether and how often immunized people may still transmit the virus. Then masking and other precautions are still needed in certain settings to contain the virus."

Only Time Will Tell. “This is the beginning of the very best to come, hopefully, for all of us,” said Gloria Winston, a 94-year-old retirement community resident in Providence, Rhode Island. “The world is going in the right direction. We need the nourishment of each other.”

p.s. Keep your vaccine card handy. For traveling, working, or attending large events.