Before You Lift the COVID-19 Restrictions…

What needs to get done before the country — and the world — can get back to normal.

As a small-but-vocal (dare I say, “vociferous”) minority of people are protesting around the country to lift the restrictions placed on businesses and schools to protect public health, there is no doubt that more and more political authorities are going to be pressured to “re-open” their jurisdictions and return to “normal.” Before they do so safely, there are certain things that need to be in place. Let me tell you what those are from a public health and epidemiological perspective…

What Is Normal, Anyway?

First, let’s define “normal.” Normal cannot be a society where going without a paycheck for a couple of weeks causes people to go broke. Normal cannot be a society where the oldest and most fragile are concentrated in places with sub-optimal care. And normal cannot be a place where public health decisions are not made by public health experts in consultation with politicians… Not the other way around.

First Things First: The Vaccine

It is not at all easy to create a vaccine. Look at the things that assail humanity day to day and for which we do not yet have a vaccine. Then look at the vaccines…