Since the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. has been setting — then breaking — the records for numbers of COVID-19 cases. With now over a quarter of a million American COVID-19-related deaths reported, the recent news of increasing COVID-19 case numbers may come as no surprise. While the “flatten the curve” movement was rushing through the nation back in the spring, it’s really been replaced with a “get me back to normal life” movement. This is despite the fact that more than half of reported COVID-19 cases occurred after August of this year.
Things are continuing to reopen and people are engaging in social distancing less than before. A survey from the Ohio State University found that around 40% of Americans planned to gather with 10 or more people during the Thanksgiving holiday. For the most part, elected officials nationwide are not implementing stay-at-home orders or mask mandates and are continuing to open up their states. COVID-19 is worse than ever before, but with lackluster leadership, America is still not effectively handling this pandemic. Unfortunately, the virus is likely to get even worse this coming winter.
As the colder months approach, we have been warned by many researchers that we are likely to see an explosion in cases if proper precautions are not taken. “This virus is going to have a heyday,” David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University, claimed.
Many factors are contributing to the explosion we are seeing now and will see in the coming months. There is increased indoor interaction with poor ventilation, since, of course, we typically don’t open our windows during the cold months. With holidays approaching, people are more likely to gather in large groups. On a biological level, COVID-19 has been seen to be deactivated in humid conditions and at temperatures of 40°C (about 104°F). For other viruses, dry and cold conditions with limited sunlight typically are good for viral stability, though it has not yet been proven for COVID-19 in particular.
Researchers still maintain that “by far, the biggest factor that will affect the size of an outbreak will be control measures such as social distancing and mask-wearing.” Of course, with holidays approaching, people are more likely to gather in groups, including people typically outside of their socializing bubble. Cory Merow, an ecologist at the University of Connecticut, states that in winter, “the risk goes up, but you can still dramatically reduce your risk [of contracting COVID-19] by good personal behavior.”
We are all anxious to get back to normal life and we are all experiencing quarantine fatigue. I have spent my sophomore year of college online, was unable to celebrate my birthday with my best friends, and have truly experienced a very, very sad last year as a teenager. I know that it’s hard, but we have to engage in more precautions to keep this from lasting another year.
While we are all suffering and hurting, it’s important to ask yourself, do you want to have underreacted or overreacted to the pandemic? An underreaction can mean putting people’s lives at risk, potentially exposing high-risk and elderly populations, and leading to a lot more months of economic and societal peril. An overreaction means a few months in isolation, a lot of computer time and not seeing your friends for a while. Which do you prefer?
As always, stay safe, stay inside, and eat the rich.