A vaccine is not enough. How America’s COVID-19 epidemic ends.
Article by German Lopez published online at VOX.com December 8, 2020.
I worry that America is hoping and waiting for the new vaccines to be the cavalry that rides over the ridge to save the nation’s bacon. I suppose I have been harping on this, and I know most people don’t want to hear it, but we must recognize what this article makes plain: a vaccine will not arrive in time and in enough numbers to quell the current surge. While Israel and the European Union have managed to stop the Fall surge through lockdowns and various control measures (see the Figure taken from the article), the U.S. seems to be stuck in neutral while cases and deaths keep rising unencumbered. I wish there were more choices available to us but it really comes down to this: the next 6-8 weeks can either be bad, or super-bad. This article in VOX I think lays it out nicely. COVID-19 is now killing as many Americans as died in the 9/11 attacks every day. Whether that gets a little worse or a lot worse in the coming weeks depends on what we do as a nation now.
Today’s bite-sized, handpicked selection of important news, information or science for all who want to know where this epidemic is going and what we should do.
Thomas A. Glass, Ph.D. 