Different Takes: Most People Shouldn’t Fret About BA.2; How To Plan For The Next Covid Wave
Opinion writers tackle these covid issues.
The Washington Post:
A BA.2 Covid Wave Shouldn’t Worry Most Americans
In the coming weeks, the United States could see another wave of covid-19 infections driven by a subvariant of the omicron strain, known as BA.2. While the federal government needs to do much more to prepare for this potential surge, most Americans should not be worried. (Leana S. Wen, 3/21)
The New York Times:
The Best Time To Prepare For A Covid Surge Is Now
The most important lesson of the Covid pandemic is that the only constant is change. Variants spread, cases surge and abate, treatments change and knowledge expands. This means that we — the public, elected officials and public health leaders — need to learn constantly and adapt quickly, acting on the insight that no one policy response is likely to stay effective for long. (Tom Frieden, 3/22)
Bloomberg:
Covid’s Fifth Wave Shows Us How To Live With The Omicron Virus Subvariant
Covid cases are on the rise in several European countries. Upticks are visible again in France, Italy and the U.K. Infection rates in both Austria and Germany eclipse previous waves of the virus (based on cases per million). China is grappling with new highs in terms of case counts. The U.S. may soon follow. This fifth wave of the virus is likely to be mercifully short-lived in many areas, but the picture varies around the world. This divergence gives us something of a report card on the efficacy of the Covid policies in place. (Therese Raphael and Sam Fazeli, 3/22)
Stat:
The Covid-19 Pandemic Is A Complex Problem, Not A Complicated Problem
Federal public health officials did many good things in response to Covid-19, like investing in Operation Warp Speed, but they misdiagnosed the nature of the pandemic: They deemed it a complicated problem rather than a complex problem. This error reduced the effectiveness of the country’s pandemic response, and a course correction is necessary to improve the response to future pandemics. In 2001, I developed a checklist for health care workers to reduce infections from catheters, tubes that are widely used to deliver fluids and critical medicines to people who have been hospitalized. At the time, catheter infections resulted in approximately 31,000 deaths a year in the U.S, putting it in the top 15 leading causes of death. (Peter Pronovost, 3/22)
Bloomberg:
Why China's Covid-Zero Policy Has Found Success While Hong Kong's Falters
Hong Kong appears to have accepted defeat. On Monday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam set out a blueprint for undoing the stringent social distancing measures and border curbs that severely curtailed residents’ daily lives for the past two years. Despite the government’s Covid-zero measures, 3.6 million of the city’s 7.3 million residents may have been infected. The statistic reflects badly on Hong Kong. But that doesn’t mean that the same policy in China has failed. (Anjali Trivedi and Shuli Ren, 3/21)
The Tennessean:
The Vital Role Of Nurses During Covid-19 And Beyond
Nurses have been among the most visible essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.But the virus and the delta and omicron surges that sickened and killed tens of thousands in Tennessee left many of these health professionals burned out. Nevertheless, their work continues to be essential even as the COVID appears to be waning for the moment. (David Plazas, 3/18)
