Pandemics have affected humans since time immemorial. The first-ever recorded pandemic in human history was in Athens. It dates back to 430 B.C. It was actually the reason why Spartans could easily defeat the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War. Several pandemics followed, such as the Antonine Plague in 165 AD, Justinian Plague in 541 AD, Spanish Flu in 1918.
So pandemics aren’t something new for mankind. Fast forward to current times; the world is dealing with Covid-19. A virus that came out of nowhere and has claimed over 4 million lives so far. The virus keeps mutating and forming newer strains. This is the first time in history that we are well equipped to deal with the pandemic.
The World Health Organization declared a global emergency for Covid-19 on 30th January 2020. The realization soon hit the world that the virus was extremely potent. It spread so fast that the medical fraternity was confused about how to contain it. The best suggestion or solution rather was to quarantine people to stop the virus from spreading.
Covid-19: A Brief Overview
On 11th March 2020, World Health Organization declared covid-19 as a pandemic. Medical professionals were all on their feet to tackle this challenge. Major organizations and resources were dedicated to finding the cure and bring the world back to normal. The world was shaken!
Still, after almost a year and a half after the declaration of the covid-19 pandemic, there’s no consensus from the medical side as to how to overcome the situation. The only benefit we have this time is that we are advanced enough to tackle the situation better.
Why are we lucky this time?
Medical advancements in contemporary times allowed us to tackle the virus situation better. We had better equipment, medicines, and remedies to mitigate Covid-19. Plus, media was a big help. People across the globe were made aware of the virus situation, and the necessary information could be communicated easily.
The timely availability of Ventilators saved many lives. With the help of Viral Transport Media (VTM )Kits, we could carry out tests efficiently and take necessary precautions. Yet, these are all temporary fixes to a problem that’s not going away anytime soon.
The Evolution of Virus: Predicting future by analyzing the past
The virus is developing new strains at different time intervals. Covid-19 pandemic naturally leads the researchers to look into the past. The one question that can answer the Covid-19 situation is- how did the past pandemics end?
The medical fraternity is divided on how this situation will conclude. There are some data available from the past based on which we can make future speculations. Many medical professionals are confident that this will get eradicated via herd immunity. That enough people will contract it and develop immunity against it.
However, many medical veterans don’t think that this is the way it will end. For example, Jennie Lavine (Jennie S, 2021) proposes that covid-19 will become endemic. This means the disease will stay, but it won’t likely pose severe symptoms to the victim. She proposes that Covid-19 will stay even when it loses the pandemic status.
Her opinion is supported by other prominent names in the field as well. Like Jonathan Yewdell (Yewdell, 2021), a senior investigator in cellular biology and viral immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, believes that coronaviruses don’t behave in a way that sets the right conditions to establish herd immunity.
Final Thoughts
It seems that many researchers are of the view that Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere. It’ll stay but become less severe over time. Natural defenses will take charge and make symptoms manageable. Some professionals even believe that the virus will attack seasonally and that eventually, different areas will be affected at different levels of intensity.
Those areas where vaccination rates would be high will be the least affected. The ones where people don’t get vaccinated will have more affected. Whatever the case, for now, the best bet is to take all the necessary precautions. Wear the mask and sanitize your hands regularly.
How this pandemic ends is still a question looming over the head of the medical fraternity. Meanwhile, individuals should take responsibility and take part in eradicating the diseases to the best extent possible.
References
Jennie S, L. O. (2021). Immunological Characteristics Govern The Transitions of Covid-19 to Endemicity. 371(6530), 741 – 745.
Yewdell. (2021). Individuals Cannot Rely on Covid-19 Herd Immunity; Durable immunity to viral disease is limited to viruses with obligate viremic spread.
