For how long will we need to endure the threat of COVID-19?
First of all, let’s get realistic.
There will be light at the end of the tunnel. And that’s the good news. The not so good news is that the tunnel is going to appear long and seemingly never-ending. Yes, eventually, we will get to the end of the tunnel.
Does that mean then that the virus will go away by then? Experts at Hopkins University claim that because the virus is so widespread - it won’t. They do offer a glimmer of hope though; when they say that the pandemic will end. Now that’s reassuring, but where does all this leave us?
We are nearly six months into this pandemonium causing pandemic and the likelihood is that we may have to lead our lives for many more months under the threat of COVID-19.
Whilst we wait, there are those who whisper that normal life, i.e. life as we knew it before COVID-19, is just around the corner, with talk of a vaccine. Yes, so much hope is riding on a breakthrough, but a vaccine - when it is discovered, is only the beginning of the end.
Firstly, the vaccine is not around the corner – and that’s something nobody wants to hear. Secondly, the vaccine may not wipe out the coronavirus, which means that return to life as we knew it will not immediately happen.
One of the things they say in science is that ‘mice lie and those monkeys don’t tell the truth’. You can get something that works on mice, and you can get it to work on monkeys, and yet, it may not work in humans. Any animal tests will have to be followed by trials to firstly, demonstrate that the vaccines are safe for people to use and secondly, that they protect against infection.
Rachel Roper, a professor of immunology at East Carolina University fears that COVID-19 could be a virus that proves resistant to vaccinations. Come to think of it, there has never been an effective vaccine for humans against any member of the coronavirus family – SARS, MERS included. Infact there is none for the common cold – and that’s a worrying thought.
What it means is that a vaccine against COVID-19 if discovered could mitigate severe cases. It could make COVID-19 easier to live with. However, it is unlikely to offer complete protection.
Bottom-line: The virus is here to stay. For how long? No one knows. Till a cure is found, self-care and healthy habits will prevail to prevent infection and keep the virus at bay.
Hospitality Sri Lanka
The above article is from our video series “19-Hospitality Related Questions on Covid-19", which can be viewed on our Youtube channel here Why not take a moment to share your experience with us, or if you have a question you'd like answered, get in touch through reachus@hospitalitysrilanka.com We hope to hear from you, and in the meantime, check out our social media feeds on Facebook and Instagram. Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka
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