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A survey of 21 experts found that most of them believe the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, according to research by The New York Times.
Americans may be able to get back to their pre-pandemic lives this summer.
Unless …
Researchers cautioned that people should not underestimate COVID-19.
Although signs are pointing to the end of the pandemic, a shift in the virus or how people respond to it could send infection and death rates to rising again.
Factors that could cause the pandemic to go on longer include COVID-19 variants becoming less susceptible to vaccines and the efficacy of vaccine delivery nationwide.
The New York Times isn’t the only institution trying to figure out when life can get back to normal. The Government Executive’s predictions mostly lined up with the NYT. During the spring months, daily life in the U.S. will still be very much influenced by the coronavirus.
Between the months of March and May will be a critical time for the nation to aggressively distribute the vaccine and maintain COVID-19 social distancing, quarantine, and sanitation practices.
CBS took a look at what’s going on in countries that have inoculated nearly all of their citizens against COVID-19. In Israel and Scotland, for example, the vaccine has largely prevented people from getting sick.
Herd immunity is reached when between 60 and 80 percent of a population or group is vaccinated. In the U.S., nearly 7 percent of people have received both doses of the COVID-19 inoculation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 14 percent of the population has received a first dose.
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