It’s been three years since the World Health Organization's first called COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
With the pandemic still killing 900 to 1,000 people a day worldwide, the stealthy virus behind COVID-19 hasn't lost its punch. It spreads easily from person to person, riding respiratory droplets in the air, killing some victims but leaving most to bounce back without much harm.
At any moment, the virus could change to become more transmissible, more able to sidestep the immune system or more deadly. Topol said we’re not ready for that. Trust has eroded in public health agencies, furthering an exodus of public health workers. Resistance to stay-at-home orders and vaccine mandates may be the pandemic's legacy.FIGHTING BACK
Matthew Binnicker, an expert in viral infections at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said the world is in “a very different situation today than we were three years ago — where there was, in essence, zero existing immunity to the original virus.” “We rely so heavily on public data and it’s just not there,” said Beth Blauer, data lead for the project.
Internationally, the WHO’s tracking of COVID-19 relies on individual countries reporting. Global health officials have been voicing concern that their numbers severely underestimate what’s actually happening and they do not have a true picture of the outbreak. The disease feels random to her. “You don’t know who will survive, who will have long COVID or a mild cold. And then other people, they’ll end up in the hospital dying.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pandemic 3 years later: Has the COVID-19 virus won?It’s been three years since the World Health Organization's first called COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020
Read more »
Newsom tests positive for COVID-19, his second infection since pandemic beganGov. Gavin Newsom has mild symptoms and plans to work remotely for at least five days, his spokesman said.
Read more »
Covid backlash hobbles public health and future pandemic responseLawsuits and legislation fueled by covid backlash have stripped public health officials of powers, leaving the United States unprepared for the next pandemic.
Read more »
Science takes back seat to politics in first House hearing on origin of COVID-19 pandemicThe House of Representatives hearing on the origin of the COVID19 pandemic mostly hammered home long-standing Republican or Democratic talking points.
Read more »
Conservative covid backlash handcuffs public health, pandemic responseWhen the next pandemic sweeps the United States, health officials in Ohio won't be able to shutter businesses or schools, even if they become epicenters of outbreaks. Nor will they be empowered to force Ohioans who have been exposed to go into quarantine. State officials in North Dakota are barred from directing people to wear masks to slow the spread. Not even the president can force federal agencies to issue vaccine or testing mandates to thwart its march. Conservative and libertarian forces h
Read more »
Mom who survived COVID-19 battle during pregnancy reflects on 3rd anniversary of pandemic's startMom who survived COVID-19 battle during pregnancy says it feels like an 'out-of-body experience' to look back on not only her personal struggle but the coronavirus as a whole and the number of people who suffered.
Read more »