DOCTOR IS IN by Dr. Adil Manzoor OP/ED
When the virus first broke out in the United States in 2020, many entered an immediate state of panic. That’s not at all surprising, considering the initial hype that came with the virus, coupled with the fact that we had no cure or idea of a cure. While many doctors urged optimism back them, many public health experts had some pretty damning opinions of the virus.
Many people believed the virus would just disappear one day, with our then-president being one of them. But the experienced health experts remained unwavering with their view – the coronavirus is not going anywhere. Here we are, 23 months and 900,000 deaths later, and that view is starting to look like the real deal.
If you are still strongly expecting the miracle of the coronavirus “just vanishing,” I have some bad news for you. From experience with other coronaviruses, this coronavirus – SARS-CoV-2 – is not going anywhere.
For one, it is incredibly difficult to eradicate infectious diseases, even with the help of vaccines. One of the few diseases to be completely wiped off the face of the earth is the smallpox virus, but scientists have had an impossible time replicating that success in several other infections.
Then there’s the fact that SARS-CoV-2 mutates quite violently. Each variant brings its problems, and the Omicron variant almost sent us back to square one. Although this variant doesn’t seem to be as deadly as other variants, particularly Delta, it has shown it has the ability to dodge the vaccine’s protective efforts. Not to mention that it is very transmissible.
I do not want to dwell on Omicron for long, and I doubt the coronavirus will too. There is always the possibility of a new variant emerging, which will pose more threat than the Omicron variant. You know that’s scary because Omicron had us recording an unreal number of cases – again.
The thing is, the virus is here to stay. Health officials are beginning to accept that for a fact. That in itself is not a problem, but the fact that it can evolve into far deadlier variants is cause for worry.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said last month that it is dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant or that we are even in the endgame. That just reaffirms what many of us health officials already know – the virus isn’t going away; the pandemic will, however.
When WHO sees enough to think the virus doesn’t pose a pandemic-level threat, it will make that declaration. But the pandemic cannot last forever. The virus can become endemic, though, just like the flu.
Eventually, we will learn to live with the virus. But we cannot and will not accept 100 reported cases every week. So we have to find a way to live with the virus while crippling its ability to wreak havoc. That’s our only option.
And the key to achieving that is – yes, vaccination. I cannot overestimate this. New variants may have been shown to overcome vaccine-induced immunity, but vaccines are still our most potent weapon in this battle. Even Omicron is powerless against people that take booster doses.
Studies are going on to develop a new super vaccine, and when we will have that is not known, but that will obviously spell good news in this battle against the virus. Before that, though, we have to make do with what we have. Get vaccinated.
I am not a soothsayer or psychic, so I cannot tell you for sure the future of the coronavirus. But judging from past data and current indications, the virus isn’t going anywhere. The good news, however, is that we can prevent it from causing much damage. And I hope we do.
Again, get vaccinated. Stay safe.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor DO, a Board Certified Internist & Board Eligible Pediatrician, who works as a Hospitalist, and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice Mobile Medicine NJ.
References
· https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/2022/01/03/61d2e6 e8ca4741ea5b8b45a0.html
· https://theconversation.com/when-will-the-covid-19-pandemic-end-4-essential-reads-on-past-pandemics-and-what-the-future-could-bring-175587
· https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03619-8
· https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1110412
