PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It has been more than three years since COVID-19 was first reported in the United States. It would be foolish to assume we can know the virus’ next move, but in a recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine, some experts describe the new normal that could lie ahead.
We know that being vaccinated will not prevent some people from being infected, but it is quite clear that the vast majority of those who are vaccinated and boosted do not get sick enough to be hospitalized in the ICU or die.
Vaccinated people are less likely to spread the SARS-CoV-2 infection, but they still can.
We are still losing 10,000 to 15,000 Americans every month to COVID-19. Before the development and distribution of vaccines we lost 10 times as many.
Going forward, the goal will be to determine how to use vaccines to protect people who are most vulnerable — much as we do every year now with the flu. Experts believe COVID-19 will be with us for decades to come.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.