THE DOCTOR IS IN
OP-ED BY DR. ADIL MANZOOR
The last time I had to write anything about mask mandates, I was fuming. I’m not even joking here. That was when several people around the country started pushing for the mask mandate to be dropped. Some bodies and organizations foolishly obliged, only for us to be met with another upsurge in cases.
Some weeks before that, I had written on how it was far too soon for us to take masks off. Of course, this was due to the perceived feeling that many people were getting tired of the several COVID regulations, particularly the mask mandate. But the time wasn’t right then. It was clear for all to see. Well, how about now?
As of Feb. 16, the seven-day average for the number of COVID cases is 129,000. That number stood at a whopping 800,000 a month earlier. It is clear that we are making progress. But don’t get your hopes too high because this was also the theme before Omicron burst grandly into the scene. However, I cannot deny that we are making progress, largely due to increasing vaccinations.
But the question still remains – should we start transitioning back into normality? According to Dr. Fauci, if cases continue to fall and no new variants arise, the country “could be heading toward what we would consider more normality.” Note the critical condition there – if cases continue to fall, and no new variants emerge. That’s basically everything our transition into normalcy hinges on.
There is no “new normal” without cases reducing, and, fortunately, they have been. But we must make sure we don’t make the same mistake we made back then and undo all of the efforts we have put into fighting this damn virus. I get that eventually we have to abandon many of these COVID regulations, especially the mask mandate, but the question is when? I don’t believe now is the perfect time, particularly for people that haven’t been fully vaccinated.
We already established that we can enter into a period of normalcy once cases drop and new variants don’t emerge, and you just guess how we can ensure that. Go on; take a wild guess. Of course, we can only prevent cases from rising if we follow the same regulations that have brought us here. We just need to persevere a little longer, but that’s easier said than actually done.
Many states are growing tired of waiting for the government to lift nationwide mask mandates, and our own very New Jersey is one of them. Beginning the second week in March, New Jersey will stop requiring students and school employees to wear masks.
Again, I understand the weariness that is fast creeping in with the various mandates, but I believe we should still exercise patience. Better still, we can reach a consensus where the full guidelines to escaping from these mandates are provided by the government and properly communicated to the public.
The story is a little different for fully vaccinated people. The goalposts are not as restrictive, and there is a greater degree of freedom with the COVID regulations. This is another of the tons of reasons to get vaccinated. That’s our only escape route to normalcy.
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.nytimes.com/2022/02/09/health/mask-rules-cdc.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/article/mask-mandates-us.html
