Pandemic-related news has been nothing short of dynamic in the past year. However, it is now clear that over a year into the crisis, the news is looking more hopeful.
The U.S. has been undoubtedly hit harder by COVID-19 than many other countries in the past year, but its vaccine program, most will admit, has been impressive. President Biden’s goal of 100 million vaccine doses by his 100th day in office has been met with over 40 days to spare. The rate at which vaccinations are occurring is cause for hope for many Americans, when the past year has been met with so much sickness and death.
The CDC has also released a statement that elementary schools need only 3-feet distance between one another, assuming all students continue to wear masks and all other preventative measures are taken. The rule also applies to middle and high schoolers, as long as transmission in that community is relatively low. Reducing the rule from 6-feet to 3-feet will mean slightly higher risk, although experts agree that this risk is not significant. Additionally, reducing the distancing will make it easier for students to return to much-needed in-person learning.
However, it is worth noting that the experts agree we are not out of the woods yet. There remains barriers such as hesitancy to vaccinate and COVID-19 variants, which could threaten the progress being made. For this reason, health officials continue to push mask wearing, social distancing, and vaccinations, and remain concerned with certain states’ removal of mandates. Even these two barriers have a grey-area. Many Americans do not clearly fall into the “pro-vax”/”anti-vax” category, but are simply unsure or too busy with life to seek a vaccination appointment. Additionally, although several states have seen a recent increase in COVID-19 positive tests, the overall death rate is still decreasing, which is the factor that should hold the most weight. The U.S. needs to celebrate its accomplishments, but also remain diligent in order to maximize these wins.
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