Pandemic 2021 – When can we move on?

Photo above is courtesy of Edwin Hooper @edwinhooper.

The Pandemic has really thrown a wrench into all of our plans.  But what everyone wants to know is when will it be over?  When can we go back to business as usual?  There is a lot of hope with the recent talk of vaccines coming out but there are a couple of challenges.

First of all, it will take some time to get the vaccine out to a significant number of folks in the U.S.  And because we are are connected world, we are also dependent on the rest of the world taking the vaccine as well.  Along with this is the challenge that the virus may mutate.  Also, the virus doesn’t appear to affect all people in the same manner.  Then we have an additional challenge in that some folks appear to be reluctant to get the vaccine.  For the vaccine to succeed, a significant number of us must take the vaccine to ensure that we put a strangle hold on the virus.

Photo:   Engin Akyurt  @enginakyurt

The table below lists out the flus over the last approximate 100 years.  It is not comprehensive nor is it complete but it does provide us with a discussion point.

Note that people continue to die from the flu every year and that is what the first row shows.  Taking a look at the rest of the table it appears that these flus last in strength for a couple of years.  Consider that the Covid-19 started to get noticed in Wuhan, China sometime in December 2019.   This would put us out to the end of 2021 to hit the two year mark.

I will continue to honker down until then wearing masks, gloves and social distancing as well.  Of course, it is best to consult with your medical professionals to determine your own best course of action.    For now, I will continue to wear masks, gloves, wash hands and social distancing.  We can always come back and examine the best course of action at any time taking into consideration what the medical community is recommending.