We were all fortunate that the social and political resistance to covid vaccines and other public health measures did not result in large-scale loss of life. This was balanced by the rapid development of symptom treatments such as steroids and posture when using ventilators, the appearance of vaccines well-tailored to the initial presentation and a reduction in social interaction caused by a mixture of public health and fear. Finally, the appearance of omicron with its reduction in lethality allowed the hospitals to empty out.
The next wave of vaccines will resemble flu shots in being tailored to current and anticipated variants, so if covid does not mutate into a more lethal form it will shift to an endemic problem like other viruses. The pandemic has shown how well systems can respond to threats, but it’s an open question whether the politization of vaccines and public health will lead to increased problems going forward. If the damned things are encountered by naive hosts, they’ll spread. It’s what viruses do.
And we’ve burned out a portion of the health profession which will have to be replaced at some cost and effort.
You mentioned the social and political resistance to the covid vaccine.
I watched a supercut of world leaders and health officials saying with absolute confidence that the vaccines were "effective" and that, if you took it, you would NOT get the virus and everything would return to normal. Then it showed them all rolling up their sleeves and smiling getting jabbed. Then it showed them all announcing very seriously and sadly that they had coronavirus.
The social and political resistance to the vaccines were because, from the outset, so much of the response to the virus was media and governments reacting (or overreacting) without knowing whether the actions they were taking were actually going to be effective. It was throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, regardless of science or even common sense.
Add to that the fact that you saw the same politicians and health officials ignoring their own rules (I just read an article about a California health official who, on the same day she announced a renewal of mask mandates was later pictured partying in a group maskless) and it just completely eliminated any trust many people had in what was being told to them. That's where much of that social and political resistance comes from.
> This was balanced by the rapid development of symptom treatments such as steroids and posture when using ventilators, the appearance of vaccines well-tailored to the initial presentation and a reduction in social interaction caused by a mixture of public health and fear.
It was also balanced by the fact that COVID-19 is without major health consequence to the vast majority of the population.
> If the damned things are encountered by naive hosts
How many of those exist anymore? At this point the vast majority of us have gotten Covid at least once, and research increasingly supports the notion of robust protection from other variants by past exposure.
The next wave of vaccines will resemble flu shots in being tailored to current and anticipated variants, so if covid does not mutate into a more lethal form it will shift to an endemic problem like other viruses. The pandemic has shown how well systems can respond to threats, but it’s an open question whether the politization of vaccines and public health will lead to increased problems going forward. If the damned things are encountered by naive hosts, they’ll spread. It’s what viruses do.
And we’ve burned out a portion of the health profession which will have to be replaced at some cost and effort.