As fall draws nearer and the novel coronavirus still shows no signs of disappearing, several experts believe this fall may not bring much joy to American families and that they should instead look to scheduling a Thanksgiving by Zoom.
There are many uncertainties at hand this season and many public health experts are of the opinion that predicting the weather for Thanksgiving Day may be much easier to do than predict what will become of the virus by autumn. There is also the school reopenings to consider and the transmissions they are expected to cause in the months to come.
Besides the reopenings, holiday travel and other indoor activities due to the cooler weather are also expected to increase the transmission of the coronavirus. The combination of these threats together can mean an increased risk for the population.
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There is a possibility that when more and more schools reopen for in-person teaching and college students return to their dorms and campuses, they could inevitably contribute to the forming of many small clusters of infections. These infections could further increase and widen the area they cover and before we know it, the population may experience serious outbreaks in September.
Another possibility is that the public might be less inclined to follow rules and restrictions meant to stunt transmission due to the exhaustion most have experienced keeping up with face masks.
Jarad Niemi is a disease-modeling expert at Iowa State University. He believes that there is a certainty that the coronavirus will still be around.
Niemi says by then not only would there be no coronavirus vaccine but also not enough infected individuals to ensure herd immunity in the population.
In fall communities may experience a sharp rise in restrictions as hospital cases will be expected to rise, believes Lauren Ancel Meyers who is a disease modeler at the University of Texas. She advises everyone however that they should get a flu shot before the flu begins to spread through the population and contributes significant stress on the nation’s hospitals that won’t be able to be ready for the threat of coronavirus.
Meyers reminds how important it is to make important decisions today so the time yet to come becomes one of safety and ease. If important fundamental decisions are made now, by fall the impact may be received well.
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Currently, the virus has caused as many as 180,000 deaths in the population with 6 million coronavirus positive cases in the US. Globally the death toll for the deadly virus adds up to about 850,000 and the number of cases has now reached 25 million worldwide.
On average the US is recording almost 900 deaths on a daily basis from the novel coronavirus. The latest confirmed cases per day are also amounting to the number of 42,000. This number has however come down significantly from its peak in mid-July back then the cases were as high as 70,000. Therefore it is advisable to be cautious this thanksgiving day and keep your loved ones and your community safe.
