By Harlan Ullman, The Hill
For most Americans, the pandemic is over. Life seems to be returning to normal. People are no longer wearing masks, and restaurants are overcrowded. Outdoor and indoor facilities for sporting events have also increased the number of fans.
But is this an idyllic bubble that will soon burst? Or has the main danger passed?
President Biden’s goal was to vaccinate 70% of the population by Independence Day, but this is unlikely to happen. The vaccination rate is declining. In countries where the vaccination campaign is slow and the Delta variant is spreading, the number of cases has increased.
About 10 percent of all Americans, or about 33 million, have been infected with COVID-19 so far. More than 600,000 have died. Of course, the pandemic trajectory is heading in the right direction. But globally the picture is very grim, reports abcnews.al
Among the 29 NATO allies, all but four countries were in level three of the opening, which means that travel is not recommended due to the Delta variant. Four NATO countries are now in Fourth Level, not recommending travel.
These include the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Belgium, where NATO headquarters are located. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has postponed the reopening of the country due to the Delta variant.
According to Johns Hopkins, so far the number of victims globally due to COVID is 3.8 million, with more casualties in the first six months of 2021 than throughout 2020. And the rate of infection in many parts of the world is still growing . Although the US requires a negative PCR test or test showing that they have recovered from Covid, keeping the virus under control is impossible.
It is certainly not reasonable to think that the US will be isolated from the rest of the world but if the country does not take precautions then the virus will spread even more. One way to prevent the virus of course is to vaccinate 70% of the entire population.
Given vaccination resistance among many Americans and the challenges of vaccinating young people, herd immunity remains an aspiration rather than a reality.
So for a moment, imagine another wave of Covid hitting countries this fall. What are the possible consequences?
Many of the measures that were lifted, such as wearing a mask, social distancing and banning large gatherings, would certainly come into force. If the schools were to stay open, it would depend on how sticky the variants are.
Would we be in the same conditions as last year, when most countries were in quarantine?
One of the issues to be discussed is the issue of money. The US government has already allocated about $ 6 trillion for spending in the country. Given the proposed infrastructure bill that requires about another trillion dollars and the president’s intention to sign it with an additional package that could reach several trillion dollars more, is the US risking bankruptcy as national debt rises? over 150 percent of GDP?
Ending one crisis does not mean preparing for another. We must be prepared for the worst./abcnews.al