ANALYSIS: 5 ways we'll know COVID has become endemic

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Mon, 2022-03-07 10:45 — mike kraft

5 ways we'll know COVID has become endemic: ANALYSIS "As we move toward a COVID-controlled life, it'll be ever-important to assess for real-time changes in the virus and its community impact because we know just how unpredictable this virus can be," said Dr. Atul Nakhasi, an internist at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County, where Nakhasi practices, public health officials have developed an alert system designed to signal the risk level of the virus. If we see hospitalizations continue to decrease and remain stable, that will suggest endemicity. Yahoo

by DR. JAY BHATT

Recently, an update to the national COVID-19 strategy was released, designed to manage the virus so most Americans can return to daily life without disruption.

The country is moving to a new phase in which the COVID-19 threat changes from "pandemic" to "endemic." That means the virus will likely continue to circulate within the population, but at low rates or seasonally.

The updated strategy should fill us with optimism. But we should couple that with a healthy dose of caution.

MORE: White House signals next era in COVID with sweeping new strategy

"As we move toward a COVID-controlled life, it'll be ever-important to assess for real-time changes in the virus and its community impact because we know just how unpredictable this virus can be," said Dr. Atul Nakhasi, an internist at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center in Los Angeles.

How can we know if it's safe to unmask and resume our normal activities? What signals should we look for to determine if we need to resume social distancing? Below are five indicators that may provide us with answers.