Although there are already several brands of COVID-19 vaccines that are ready for distribution, as well as the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer anti-coronavirus shots are being rolled out, some experts believe that going back to normalcy is still off the table and that the pandemic's third wave might be the most devastating one we'll experience.
Nurses draw vaccine doses from a vial as Maryland residents receive their second dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at the Cameron Grove Community Center on March 25, 2021 in Bowie, Maryland. The vaccinations were provided by Prince George's County's Mobile Units as vaccinations in Maryland are now over the 20 percent threshold.
COVID-19 Pandemic Far from Over
According to CNN, most Americans appear to be preparing to go back to normalcy now that the vaccines are continuously rolling out.
For example, several states have already relaxed the capacity restrictions in diners and restaurants, and public and private gatherings are more acceptable now than a year ago, albeit capacity restrictions are still in place.
Furthermore, more people are traveling now, with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) saying that there are more than a million passengers in various US airports for the past two weeks.
Although the world seems to be going back to how things were pre-pandemic, health experts warn the public that the pandemic is far from over.
New Variants Threaten Our Safety
Dr. Rochelle Wolensky, the director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in an interview with the "Today" show on Thursday, Mar. 25, that the US is "still seeing about 1,000 deaths a day," and that the number of daily infections is steadily going at 50,000 to 60,000.
Wolensky did say that the vaccines have shown data that they are working, but the COVID-19 has new variants that are more infectious than the original novel coronavirus.
Moreover, the variants have also halted some COVID-19 treatments, specifically, some monoclonal antibody therapy previously used.
The therapies have been halted due to lowered effectiveness against the new variants.
"In order for us to get to herd immunity even at this rate, it's still probably going to take about five months, assuming we can convince fully 70% of the population to take the shot," said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN's medical analyst.
Germany's Third Wave
People wait in line at a coronavirus testing center, where people can get free rapid antigen tests as part of a nationwide initiative, during the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic on March 26, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. Germany is deep into a third wave of the pandemic due to the spread of the B117 variant of the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile the pace of vaccinations has begun slowly accelerating and some lockdown measures have been cautiously eased.
The United States is not the only country that is still dealing with the ongoing issues with COVID-19.
In a report by Sky News, German health officials have also raised alarms regarding the pandemic's third wave in the country, which they believe could be the most devastating so far.
As per the news media outlet, Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for Infectious Diseases, said that there could be as many cases as 100,000 new infections a day if the disease is not yet curbed.
The health official said they should prepare for the new surge of cases, especially since the country has seen more than 21,500 new cases this Friday, Mar. 26.
"We can no longer avoid this wave but we must try to flatten it as much as possible to at least weaken the consequences," Wieler said. "In order to do that, we must avoid infecting others, now, immediately and with all possibilities at our disposal."
As of now, Germany is continuing their vaccination program, but as with most of the European Union, the process has been slow.
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Written by: Nhx Tingson
