Within the ruminations one falls into from a little bit fever and an excessive amount of stale indoor air, I believed at size about “flatten the curve,” the previous time period that was the cri de guerre within the pandemic’s first months.
These early days have been horrifying. We had no available fast diagnostic take a look at, poor understanding of how the virus that causes Covid-19 usually spreads, no appreciation of the virus’s skill to twist and switch to evade immune detection, no vaccines and no therapies. Then, one of the simplest ways to stop unfold was to stop human contact — thus the notion of flattening the (pandemic) curve to sluggish transmission of the virus so
the health care system wasn’t overwhelmed.
Though the following political theatrics added to the issue of the duty, full curve flattening for a protracted interval was by no means reasonable. That was the great thing about the thought: Curve flattening was not about extinguishing the outbreak however quite introducing a solution to stall the widening disaster and purchase time until scientists might get forward of the issue.
For a second, the thought caught on and dominated recommendation from public well being specialists, forward-looking politicians and
TED Talk types with wonderful graphics. Certainly, the before-and-after look of curve flattening made a
great visual that, in its obvious simplicity, hid simply how onerous the duty can be. The work of flattening was offered as patriotic and even heroic, ideas that elements of the US rapidly got here to outline fairly in another way.
The concept pale instantly, each as a result of i
t didn’t work that well in most locations and since medical therapies for the illness emerged.
I by no means a lot preferred the flatten the curve marketing campaign: It appeared extra about sloganeering — rah-rah, even corny phrases for their very own sake to attempt to keep a way of management over what was in no way controllable (then or now). Plus, folks have been going to remain residence, not out of civic obligation however quite old-school worry, nonetheless the
most potent motivator of any behavior.
As a man who has lived a reasonably uninteresting life since I caught the an infection, I’m realizing that we really carried out was the unique recreation plan: We flattened the curve.
Regardless of distractions, miscalculations, lies, dangerous research and worse observations,
we have pretty good tools in hand, a poorly managed however not overwhelmingly deadly an infection that continues to squirm out of our grip simply once we suppose we’ve it, and rising charges of immunity, though not precisely sufficient safety to enter the fairy-tale land of herd immunity. Life has modified from a gripping every day worry of dying to an annoyance over the potential of being uncomfortable for per week or two — assuming one is vaccinated.
So right here we’re within the post-flattened world, the place variants will proceed to flare, dying charges will spike after every flare and other people at all times will discover another person guilty.
Which raises the difficulty — now what? It’s clear that vaccine-induced immunity from the present crop of vaccines
has saved countless lives and with wider acceptance would save many extra. However as constructed, this technology of vaccines is unable to regulate a pandemic characterised by a whack-a-mole provide of recent variants.
It’s also clear that the antivirals are fairly good however not really easy to take, with the popular medicine, Paxlovid, having
complicated interactions with other drugs (a specific concern for these 65 and older who usually are on
multiple medications). Additionally, drug resistance might emerge ultimately, as we’ve seen from medicine to deal with viral infections akin to influenza, HIV and hepatitis B.
We additionally know that immunity triggered by an infection is simply good, not nice. Certainly, my grownup son has come down with a second Omicron sickness solely 4 months after his first. He’s much less sick however sick — regardless of youth, his earlier current an infection, three messenger RNA vaccinations and a correct respect for the right way to keep away from an infection.
Absolutely, there might be extra and higher vaccines quickly and extra, higher tablets and extra, higher approaches.
We will be awash with options. Necessity has as soon as once more confirmed to be the mom of invention.
However till then, here is one of the best plan ahead. Till the brand new and improved merchandise are right here, let’s get vaccinated and put on a masks when we have to, take our medicine if we’re contaminated,
keep funding the general public well being Covid-19 management framework and all work collectively for a easy, single purpose. Let’s all flatten the curve! As a result of stalling and kicking the rock down the street a little bit longer seems to be a reasonably good strategy to managing this monstrous pandemic.
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