"We want to be able to adjust safeguards based on" a few parameters.
COVID cases are still on the rise, even though they have peaked in much of the United States—so much so that we are currently in the grip of a "viral blizzard." How can you keep yourself safe? And when will everything return to normal—or at least some semblance of normalcy? When, specifically, will the mask mandates be lifted? On CNN's New Day, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy explained everything you need to know about the situation.
1. The Surgeon General stated that, depending on critical indicators, we would "dial-up and dial down" our precautions.
According to the host of New Day, "Denver, for example, has lifted all or most of its mask and vaccine regulations. Do you have a metric that you use to determine whether it is safe to lift the indoor mask mandate?" "It's a critical question," the Surgeon General remarked. "And one thing I do want people to know is that as we progress through this epidemic, particularly as our hospitalizations and mortality decline, it will be easier for us to relax limitations," he said. "There isn't a single metric worth considering. What we need to do is look at a composite of data, not just hospitalizations and deaths, but also try to understand what's going on in terms of early signs that could indicate whether instances are likely to climb in the coming weeks, and we want to be able to adjust precautions accordingly."
2. The Surgeon General stated that we will return to a "Closer Semblance of Normal at some point."
"I completely appreciate people's sense of urgency and irritation in wanting to get back to normal," Dr. Murthy remarked. "And I believe we will return to a more normal state since we now have instruments such as the vaccination and more treatments, which lower the intensity of illness. However, having high-quality masks, such as the 400 million that the US government is now distributing across the country, allows you to protect yourself in ways that were previously unavailable."
3. A Virus Expert Declares "Viral Blizzard."
Omicron is "less harsh" does not imply that everything is well. "It's just a matter of math," Dr. Osterholm explained. "Consider the following scenario: You have a thousand people whom Delta would have infected in the past, and a hundred of them become ill and require hospitalization. Some of them pass away. Then there's Omicron. A thousand more people. Only ten people become really ill, are hospitalized, and some die this time, and you think to yourself, "Wow, this is going to be better." It's been described as 'milder.' The issue is that it's 20 to 30 times more contagious. So, even though it's a milder disease, the numbers, as we're seeing here in the United States, have reached an all-time high in terms of hospitalizations and intensive care medicine demands, simply because it's hit our communities like a viral snowstorm."
4. A Virus Expert Says Omicron Won't Work With a "Zero COVID" Policy
Because Omicron is "more contagious than the other variations that we've had that were successfully contained by these authoritarian measures," China's Zero COVID policy may be unsustainable, according to virus expert Dr. Michael Osterholm on CNBC's Squawk Box Asia. "Trying to stop Omicron at the moment, though, is akin to trying to stop the wind. You can't stop it. You can deflect it, but you won't be able to stop it." China's immunizations, he warned, may not provide adequate protection against Omicron, and "The zero COVID strategy will not work—just look at Australia and New Zealand to see what I'm talking about. Two countries who had successfully implemented zero COVID policies just to discover that it wasn't going to work."
5. Dr. Murthy Said This Can Assist in Predicting What Will Happen Next
Boston researchers have tracked COVID through wastewater. "Wastewater surveillance is a fascinating field," Dr. Murthy remarked. "It's a different approach of measuring what's going on in terms of infection burden rises or decreases in a community. And the truth is that we need tools to help us understand what's going to happen before it happens as we move forward in this pandemic and through it. We require early warning signs. We must also consider future signs. So, wastewater may be one of those instruments for the time being. Understanding what's going on in emergency departments in terms of syndromic surveillance how many cases of COVID-like sickness are coming in, we know that proactive surveillance testing can help us as well. Of course, hospitalizations and deaths are useful indications, but they tend to come later. So, to summarize, we are developing an increasing number of instruments to assist us in determining what the future may include. Again, knowing when to increase or decrease measures will be critical in surviving this pandemic and learning to live with this virus."
6. How to Stay Safe While Traveling
Get vaccinated or boost your vaccinations as soon as possible; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you aren't sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and protect your life and the lives of others.