The cases of COVID-19 are going up in the USA and in many other countries as well, especially in Europe. Even though the cases in Canada are not dire, there are signs that the COVID-19 cases are rising in Canada as well, in a country where the vaccination rates are high.
However, the cases in Canada and in other highly vaccinated countries will not likely be as high as they will be in the USA is because unfortunately, much of the USA is still unvaccinated, leading to surges, more hospitalizations, and new variants. We already have variant Omicron that just surged from South Africa and it is a matter of time when it will circulate worldwide. It may be more contagious than Delta, but more studies need to be done on this variant.
Either way, whether Omicron is in the USA, or Delta keeps circulating, the situation can be quite dire. According to the CDC, the average number of new COVID-19 cases in the USA is over 90,000 which has been increasing for weeks. Also, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), there is a prediction by March 2022 that there will likely be close to 900,000 deaths, potentially. Remember that well over 700,000 people have died from the virus since the pandemic began in March 2020. The worst-case scenario by the IHME is that nearly two million people will die by March 2022. However, this grim scenario can be avoided!
How To Avoid The Worst-Case Scenario From Happening
Here is the obvious answer. More and more people need to vaccinate and not fall for conspiracy theories any more. It is understandable that there is a lot of fear and anxiety about vaccines because of listening to and reading disinformation and misinformation. The best way to lessen those fears is to talk to trusted medical professionals about the vaccine, and trusted friends and family members.
Since vaccines are now available for children five and up, then parents will need to talk to the pediatricians if they have questions about the vaccines for kids. Vaccinating as many children and adults as possible is the way to help curve the worst-case scenario from happening.
And even though fully vaccinated people can breakthrough infections and spread COVID-19, it happens much less than someone else who is unvaccinated. Additionally, the virus that a vaccinated person spreads will be much weaker because the antibodies have already started fighting the virus. That is why unless the individual is immunocompromised or elderly with a weaker immune system, a vaccinated person is highly unlikely to spread COVID-19 to another vaccinated person. The other thing with breakthrough infections is that those who have it, as long as they have a healthy immune system, they will not likely be hospitalized. Usually, a breakthrough infection is like having a bad cold or mild flu which you can treat at home.
And, getting vaccinated will help keep the surge controlled, and secondly, masking does help to control the spread as well, and keeping your hands sanitized is also essential to do. It is also highly unlikely that the surge will be as bad as it was in the winter of 2020 because a good portion of the USA is vaccinated.
However, the more people left unvaccinated, the more difficult the surge will be to control. And the shame of it is, people know what to do when it comes to mitigating surges and cases. Unfortunately, not enough take the virus seriously even after all of this time which is why no one is out of the woods at all. The best thing to do is to minimize the impact of the surge by getting vaccinated, mask up, and staying safe.
