It has been nearly eighteen months since COVID -19 turned our lives upside down. The past year has certainly been one of the most difficult in recent history. As the country has slowly phased out of pandemic life, many have begun to reflect on the triumphs and tribulations of the past year. In early 2020, there was little information about the virus, and Coronavirus deaths subsequently surged in New York and Washington state. The response of public health authorities was swift, and millions of Americans were sent into lockdowns. Based on data from previous disease outbreaks, scientists believed that social-distancing protocols would prevent the spread of the virus, thereby saving countless lives. If social distancing had been effective before, researchers believed it would work just as well now. And so the enforcement of lifestyle restrictions began. Many Americans initially listened to the restrictions, but as time drew on, lockdown orders received more and more criticism.
One region that was hit particularly hard by the virus was New York City, where cases quickly surged in the Spring, overwhelming hospitals to the breaking point. With the commitment and determination of first responders and healthcare workers, New York was able to manage the first wave of COVID-19 infections better than many other areas of the country.
As COVID-19 cases spiked in the late Fall and Winter, there were signs of hope amidst the chaos. Two vaccine companies, Pfizer and Moderna, received emergency authorization to mass-produce and distribute COVID-19 vaccines. This announcement was remarkable, especially given the unprecedented speed at which the vaccines were produced. The previous record for vaccine development was four years, and these shots had been developed in only nine months.
While one of the most ambitious vaccination distribution efforts in history was underway, COVID-19 variants were identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, and the United States. This new information only increased the need to quickly inoculate as much of the global population as possible.
Despite the distribution of three vaccines (Johnson and Johnson received authorization in early 2021), Joe Biden’s administration insisted that in March of 2021, America was still facing a health and economic catastrophe, building public support for his $1.9 trillion spending bill. As of May 2021, almost half of all adults in the United States have received their first vaccine shot.
One thing is for sure, as we enter yet another stage in this pandemic, we are on a real road to normalcy. As we start to put this pandemic behind us as a country, we owe a debt of gratitude to the heroes of this difficult year, healthcare workers who treated patients, frontline workers who kept the American economy from collapsing entirely, and vaccine developers who have worked tirelessly to provide a light at the end of this long tunnel.
