Every day, many of us continue practising Covid safety measures — like masking, sanitising and social distancing — with a singular determination and hope that the state of affairs will eventually come to an end/ When will it come to an end? No one knows but the pursuit of the 'normal' every day, always visible on the horizon but of reach, gives us hope. So inevitably, a doctor comes along to help us manage our expectations.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at Public Health England said basic Covid safety measures will likely stay in place until all nations successfully roll out vaccines. How long could that be? At least a couple of years. As Ramsay stated, people have gotten used to these 'lower level restrictions' and society has learnt to function with them as well. These basic safety measures will be important in coming times even after we all get inoculated. As multiple health experts have said since the start of the pandemic, no one is safe until everyone is safe. And vaccine rollout to date has been very inconsistent. On one end of the scale, you have countries like the US which has administered over 125 million doses till March 21, which equals around 38 doses per 100 people. On the other side, you have countries like Egpyt which have administered just over 1,300 doses or less than 0.1 doses per 100 people. Then again you also have countries like Tanzania which are so far behind in basic Covis safety that questioning the state of their vaccination programme seems to be an exercise in futility. The basic point is that it will be years until the world can get back to what we consider 'normal'.
Many politicians, like other people, cannot grasp the concept behind continuing masking and social distancing after getting the vaccine. In America, the success of the vaccination programme has prompted many state governors such as those of Texas to assume that opening up the state completely is safe as the 'all-clear' sign is just around the corner. But as Dr Fauci recently stated, these vaccines have limited coverage against the new Covid variants which can, in fact, infect a person who has been vaccinated. The longer the pandemic goes on, the more the likelihood of more variants coming about. Even the actual immunity provided by the vaccine has an eventual expiration which could be anywhere between six months to one year after the second shot is administered (in the case of double-dose vaccines). In cases like these, even if your entire country is vaccinated, there is plenty of reason to remain vigilant so long as the virus exists in large enough clusters abroad. And then there is the possibility that COVID-19 may become endemic, much like the flu in that it comes and goes as a particular season favours its spread. Either way, basic safety measures remain key.
A few months into 2021 and we can already see the picture of the world that lies ahead of us. While some countries like Israel can celebrate their vaccine success by opening up nightclubs at full capacity, Europe is going into a series of panic-driven lockdowns as their vaccine campaigns hit several major roadblocks. In such a case of disparity, most experts say that planning your foreign getaway may be a little bit premature. We must all have patience, even if the way is long and the end uncertain. After all, the alternative is to be stuck in this limbo for a lot, a lot longer.