Reflections after 2 years of COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, while the world is facing a new surge from another SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) and the end of the pandemic is not in clear sight, there is sufficient experience to prevent further communication failures in the current and in future pandemics, and to curb the erosion of trust in science and expertise. 1,2 We attempt here to draw conclusions on several controversial points.(1) The futility of containment. Throughout history, respiratory pathogens associated with low morbidity and mortality, whereby the pathogen can spread from human to human before symptoms become apparent, have never been contained at the population level. The problem is that the vast majority of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients are healthy enough to move around, and thus far there is no easy mechanism for identifying infected individuals who are infectious. Stringent "lockdowns" -which should be communicated as strategies to buy time and protect heath systems from collapse, not to end the viral epidemic -are incompatible with social life as implemented in westernised societies. Thus far, only societies that accept stringent limits to personal freedoms have been able to reduce spread by lockdowns. Limited lockdowns could be less impactful Abbreviations: LMIC, low-to-middle income countries; VOC, variant of concern.

Effects of COVID-19 in Endocrine Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…All of these impositions have changed some daily routines, including social interactions, how to play sports, and eating habits. Although these effects are still visible more than two years later [ 5 ], the most devastating effects were seen in the first phase of the pandemic. The sudden interruption of work routine has caused boredom in many cases, and continued exposure to information about COVID-19 from the media has been stressful.…”