Reflections on COVID

By Dr. Audrea Vaughan, DO, MPH, MSc

Early in my career, had anyone told me that the world as we know it was going to change and people would be required to wear masks, social distance, and practice staying home; I would have reflexively laughed and considered the thought so foolish. I knew no one at that time, that had lived through a pandemic so the thought of a life that way was beyond farfetched. Yet it was in late 2019, that we all got a reality check. The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 that would lead to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019, from this point forward, referred to as COVID), was identified for the first time in humans and would spread rapidly across the globe causing great devastation. 

It has now been over two years since the onset of the COVID pandemic. The infection’s unpredictable course and known disruptive effect on our lungs, heart, kidney, liver, and brain have, to date, impacted over 500 million lives worldwide. COVID has caused over 6 million deaths since its emergence. One million of these deaths occured right here in the United States, according to the CDC. At the height of this pandemic’s wrath, that would have been 11 deaths every second! During the crisis, practicing primarily as a hospitalist, a physician dedicated to caring for patients hospitalized with acute illness, I very quickly learned I was more prepared for the unknown than I thought. 

Contrary to a politically motivated agenda, there is no denying the benefits that social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand hygiene have played to quell the threat of contracting SARS-CoV-2. In fact, these practices have reduced the transmission of other droplet communicable diseases, such as influenza, during the past two years. The historical benefits of vaccinations in helping to overcome a pandemic and reach herd immunity are very well known too. Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community becomes immune to a specific disease, making the spread of said disease from person to person unlikely, thereby creating protection for the community as a whole. This can be achieved by contracting the disease and developing natural immunity and/or more impactful is through systematic vaccination initiatives. If one becomes vaccinated against a virus they create a stronger, more predictable immune response to the same disease. Health care officials estimate that we need at least 80-85% of the population to be immunized to reach herd immunity. Currently, the CDC projects that 66% of the US population is fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. 

Though new COVID cases are on a decline, history tells us that we may not be out of the storm just yet. We continue to experience new cases of infection and though the acute presentation is a patient far less symptomatic than we saw at the onset of this virus, it cannot be understated that people are still vulnerable to the effects of this disease. And to add, the long-term effects of this virus are yet fully known or well-publicized. I suspect the ripples in our physical, mental, and financial health will be felt for quite some time. 

So where do we go from here? It is easy to jump on the bandwagon and think that COVID is gone and we no longer need to protect ourselves and our loved ones. The desire to forget the pain, suffering, fears, and losses associated with the pandemic and get back to normal living is strong and often unbearable. But the truth is that life will never return to what we once knew. Our “new norm” needs to take into consideration that this virus and others similarly can still wreak devastation in our communities. We need to remain proactive and vigilant in protecting ourselves and vulnerable persons whether that means wearing your mask in crowded environments where the risk of droplet transmission is high or simply practicing good hand hygiene. Get vaccinated if you have not already done so and encourage others to do the same so we can reach herd immunity. Seek routine health checks with your primary care provider to stay as healthy as we can. Resume confidence in our health officials and providers who have been very well trained to embrace these health concerns and protect and serve you and our communities.

Questions or concerns on the topic? Please reach out to theconciergepractice@gmail.com