It all started for most of us two years ago this month. Life under the threat of a pandemic.
In the beginning, New York was the epicenter of Covid-19 in the United States. Among the first cities to be hit hard, among the first to fight back with restrictions that are still in place today to varying degrees.
At the beginning of this third year, the numbers in the United States are still troubling. In mid-February we were averaging 2,000 Covid deaths per week.
Statistics like infection and death rates no longer seem to shock us. Vaccination has given us a sense of protection from the worst the disease has to offer. Though public health experts warn the pandemic is far from over, scenes from daily life demonstrate many of us have had enough and accept the idea that Covid - as a risk - should be categorized with the common cold or the seasonal flu.
In the early days of the pandemic many thought the reaction was being overblown. Critics of social distancing, lockdowns and masking argued, "It's just the flu." After nearly 1 million deaths in the United States, that was certainly the wrong perception.
Two years later, with greater knowledge of how to control the disease and effective vaccines, it looks as if more of us are coming around to that original comparison. It was wrong then, but maybe it is the only way to move forward now.
It is very important to point out the context, and the progress that has been made, when engaging in this discussion.
At the start of the pandemic a diagnosis of Covid-19 meant almost certain hospitalization and the high probability of death. Two years later, thanks to vaccines, there is a greater chance that even serious cases of Covid will be survivable. Many of the vaccinated who do become infected suffer mild symptoms. Our changing attitude toward how we manage our lives in the Covid era must be divided between the pre and post vaccine periods.
During a visit to New York a year ago I found a city that felt oddly deserted. Like a perpetual early Sunday morning, just after sunrise. Everything looked closed. There were few people and few cars on the street even in the middle of a weekday morning.
This February, on what turned out to be the warmest day of early 2022, New York City was alive again. Restrictions were still in place. Covid testing sites were everywhere. Masks were still required in most indoor places, but there was little sign those requirements were being strictly enforced.
Stopping for a mid-morning coffee, and later for lunch, servers were masked, but most patrons were not. As one comedian put it a few months back, "the virus would never consider infecting you while you are dining."
Out on the streets, the freedom to drop the mask is taken by nearly everyone, but others simply keep it on as a matter of convenience. The easiest way to carry a mask and to keep from losing it, is to wear it. If you are comfortable with it, there is no downside. For some, masks are now part of life and will be a regular part of daily self-care regardless of whether they are considered necessary.
The streets of New York can serve as a living public opinion poll. Observing how Americans in the nation's most populous city (8.4 million) are living with Covid-19, indicates we are moving into a period that places a priority on personal choice over mandate. This may not be the approach favored by public health experts, but it is the clear trend.
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Original Pandemic - NYC: (Dec. 2020)
© Dean Pagani 2022
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© Dean Pagani 2022