Now, the more contagious Delta variant (visualized above) is showing up across the country, even in the bodies of fully vaccinated people. Image courtesy of ISO.FORM LLC | CC-BY-4.0.
By Woodlief McCabe ’23
Staff Writer
In just two weeks, from July 8-22, the number of new U.S. COVID-19 cases jumped from roughly 23,000 to over 63,000, in a trend mirroring July 2020. (These numbers go up when we consider infections among populations in prisons are unreported in many states). Yet, just by looking at the measures taken by state governments, you would think COVID-19 has been all but eradicated. Now, the more contagious Delta variant is showing up across the country, even in the bodies of fully vaccinated people. According to a recent Facebook post later picked up in an article for The Guardian, Doctor Brytney Cobia shared she has heard dying patients ask for the vaccine, and she must tell them it is too late. Without a vaccinated majority, there is no possible way we can get anywhere close to normalcy, and until then, we cannot pretend everything is back to normal.
Even in blue strongholds with high vaccination rates, like my hometown in California, the rules have been altogether thrown out. New CDC guidelines recommend returning to wearing masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. We are here because people have been “returning to normal” in droves. More people are traveling and eating in restaurants as these things have become more accessible. However, that these services are available does not mean they are safe. CDC guidelines are not legally binding mandates, and it is up to counties, states and businesses to create their own policies on how many people can enter buildings and with what kind of safety measures. These policies are completely antithetical to the eradication of COVID-19, and the government agencies tasked with keeping us safe are slowly going back on their promises.
While some areas are quickly reinstating mask mandates or at least strong recommendations, many counties are more resistant. It would be no surprise to see many counties and states completely reject any kind of mandate. This rejection relies on several assumptions. First, that we should take at face value that all unmasked people are vaccinated, and no one is asymptomatically carrying the virus or any of its variants. It also assumes everyone is following proper health and safety guidelines in other aspects of their lives. More importantly, it requires us to assume that no one in our communities may be immunocompromised, unable to receive the vaccine or otherwise vulnerable. Experts warned us about a summer resurgence if we resumed normal activity before reaching adequate vaccination rates, and, despite this, governors from both parties have endorsed full reopenings of their states. Politicians rushed us into an open country before we were ready, and it’s going to be hard to convince the general population to return to old precautions, not to mention the distrust in our leadership that is undoubtedly growing while we face these back and forth policies. While conservatives in California prepare to try to recall Governor Gavin Newsom over the strictness of his regulations, some on the left (though not the Democratic Party at large, who tend to maintain faith in his leadership) have raised concerns he lifted restrictions too early. After nearly a month of full deregulation, Los Angeles is entering yet another surge, reporting over 2,000 new cases in a day.
We all want everyone to be fine. We would all love to hear that we, as a country, as a society, worked together and got vaccinated, and we now get to reap the rewards and forget what wearing a mask felt like. We would all like to live like the man I helped at work the other day, who asked me why I was still wearing a mask, and appeared shocked when I replied the pandemic wasn’t over.
The fact is, we aren’t really even close. We opened too soon, and opened the doors for a variant faster and more dangerous than the others. Now, we are trying to close these doors, but it’s going to be even more difficult to get full cooperation — or even cooperation at pre-reopening levels, for that matter. We must continue to care for our community and remember that the measures taken by our politicians are largely symbolic and driven by political and economic motives, rather than public health. Plans for “opening up” were never fair to customer service workers, disabled and immunocompromised individuals, children and other vulnerable communities.
This pandemic has taught us about selfishness and responsibility — we have the chance every day to do something ridiculously easy to protect others. We can continue wearing masks and socially distancing. We can refrain from going to gatherings where we cannot ensure all people are vaccinated or following proper safety practices. Where our legislators and leaders fail to mandate safety and public health, we can fill these gaps with compassionate personal choices. We can wait to travel. We can continue to eat outdoors or get takeout. We can wear our masks inside as we are helped by minimum-wage workers. As the summer ends and students return to campus, it will be crucial that we take our cues from actual COVID-19 case numbers and public health workers, even if we are being promised a narrative about a post-COVID-19 world.