Wear masks, the battle against Covid is not over yet

This evolutionary process will continue for a while but epidemiologists and researchers may soon predict what new variants may emerge and develop vaccines that target them. The other option is to develop a shot that works against all coronaviruses. It’s not impossible as newer mRNA technology has done wonders during the pandemic.

mRNA was used to produce Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against the pathogen, but that didn’t stop the virus from evolving in two years to escape immune responses. Human behaviour has changed since 2020 but people tend to go back to their old ways, which has triggered the recent spike in cases. Masking and hand-washing had become part of daily routines. Hygiene levels had improved as people maintained social distancing of two meters. But as vaccination rates improved, residents decided to live normally again. Trouble is, these are not normal times yet.

The World Health Organization won’t call the situation an endemic because cases continue to rise in many regions of the world. Take the UAE for instance, with a 100 per cent vaccination rate among adults, the highest in the world. The number of infections has jumped 100 per cent in just over a week. What may have caused this rise? People began mingling and discarded masks. They travelled more, with some even indulging in ‘revenge travel’ while throwing hygiene to the winds in their quest for the normality they once enjoyed. Most movement restrictions were eased by the government. There was a clear strategy and the execution was close to flawless. People were protected and vaccines were rolled out as early as December 2020.