Where were you when you first heard about the disease we now commonly refer to as COVID-19? How did you feel about it? Did you think it would turn the world upside down, or did you click the tab away or switch to another channel?
I remember where I was and how I felt. I was right here — at the same desk in the same home writing for SteadyHealth, though on a different computer. My boss asked me to write a quick article about an emerging new flu-like virus that had been responsible for causing several pneumonia cases in China, closely linked to a seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei.
This happened between Christmas and the New Year, and I wanted a break. I stupidly assumed that this new virus would quickly die out within the geographical area where it had emerged. I didn't feel like adding to the fear-mongering. That was three years ago, and I was wrong.
COVID-19, as it soon became known, changed all our lives — possibly forever. Nobody could have predicted how when the first reports of the first cases came out.
It wasn't the only thing that rocked our world. We've seen job losses, inflation, and war in the years that followed, to name but a few horrors. As we're about to head into yet another new year, we all need a little hope. We could all do with a gift. Wouldn't the end of this pandemic fit the bill?
As life gradually returned to normal, or at least the much-discussed and hated "new normal," are we finally leaving the COVID pandemic behind? Is it over?
What Is a Pandemic?
Ready.gov defines a pandemic as a disease outbreak (usually viral in nature) that spans several countries and infects a large number of people. While each relevant organization has similar definitions, there is no precise consensus around what constitutes a pandemic — for instance, how many countries must be affected, how infectious the disease must be, and how many people must fall ill for a disease outbreak to be considered a pandemic.
When Did Scientists Decide COVID-19 Was a Global Pandemic?
The World Health Organization declared SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. This declaration happened in light of the fact that "cases outside China increased 13-fold" and "the number of countries with cases increased threefold".
Many had been calling for proactive action before. By the time the World Health Organization recognized COVID as a global pandemic, people in many countries around the world were already living in the thick of it. Life changed drastically, even for those who did not get sick and who did not lose loved-ones to the new virus. Lockdowns started around this time, around the world. Schools closed, workers deemed non-essential were asked to stay home, masks and social distancing became commonplace, and public life came to a standstill.
No part of the world was left unaffected, except the remotest of areas.
Many think the World Health Organization was late in declaring the pandemic. It has not yet declared it over, despite saying the finish line is in sight. Is the WHO lagging behind again, and is the COVID pandemic over?
Is the COVID Pandemic Over?
The Scientific American has suggested that people, not scientists, decide when a pandemic is over — by returning to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. Like influenza, COVID continues to claim lives. Its infectious potential continues. But it's a disease we're learning to live with. As Harvard Health says, we're now reaching the stage where COVID is endemic. That means it's part of public life, but we no longer see shocking spikes in cases and death rates.
Yale, meanwhile, says a pandemic is over when most people have gained some level of immunity through previous infection or vaccination. We seem to be hitting that milestone, too. Ninety-four percent of Americans have had "a brush with" COVID, Yale says.
As there is no single hard-and-fast definition that would clearly end a global pandemic, we're not yet sure whether any of these declarations mean the pandemic is truly over. Each expert and public figure (including Joe Biden, who declared the pandemic to be over) has an opinion. Is it ultimately up to you to decide whether the pandemic is over for you?
How Do You Decide if the COVID Pandemic Is Over?
Even China is reopening its borders, without requiring special measures, after years of the strictest measures and lockdowns. Is it time for the diehard COVID-avoiders to slowly return to life as we knew it in 2019, too? You can look to your local regulations for guidance. They include medical, economic, and social factors in their decision-making. You should, too.
Washing your hands often and properly and staying home when you're sick are measures worth holding onto. You decide for yourself whether you still want to wear a mask if your local authorities no longer require one. You also decide whether social gatherings are more likely to harm or benefit your health, taking your mental as well as physical health into account.
Looking around me suggests I was one of the last people to hang my mask up, but I've done it. Why? After three vaccines and three years spent largely indoors, the benefits of protecting my physical health to the max no longer outweigh the costs. We're whole creatures, craving not just physical safety but also a rich social life and a sense of community.
That is something I neglected to consider at the beginning, as a freelance writer used to a digital life. I miss the world, and I'm willing to risk my life to become part of it again. It's OK if you feel differently and want to protect your health at all costs, but the risks have gone down and the cost has gone up. We'll all have to rejoin the world sooner or later. Let's hope 2023 can be the year we leave this vortex of doom behind, and get to live a little again.
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