Is it time for Los Angeles to start adjusting to Covid's new reality?

Photo by Alexis Balinoff on Unsplash

For over a year, it felt like Covid was continually getting worse. People all over the country were living in fear. 

Because of that, when cases started to drop, people found it hard to believe. Many assumed it was just the calm before another storm. 

But, the cases keep dropping. 

Covid hasn’t gone away, but the situation is getting better by the day. 

Is it time for Los Angeles to fully embrace the good news?

Cases in America

The most recent seven-day average for new cases was below 30,000 per day. 

30,000 might seem like a lot, but not once you put it in context. The last time cases were that low was June 18th, 2020. 

Reaching an 11-month low is definitely a reason to celebrate. 

Cases in Los Angeles

The number of new cases in Los Angeles has been continually dropping as well. 

On Sunday, there were 175 new cases and 5 new deaths reported. 

Currently, there are only 339 current hospitalizations due to Covid. 

All of those numbers are significant improvements over January. 

If you want to keep track of the current Covid situation in Los Angeles, visit the county’s website. 

Why the Drop?

Most health experts credit the vaccine rollout for the drop in new cases. 

More than 60% of Americans over 18 have received at least one dose of the vaccine. 

Unfortunately, vaccine demand has been dropping as of late. But, the Biden administration is hard at work trying to convince more citizens to get the shot. 

My Thoughts

There have been many different estimates about what vaccination rate would lead to herd immunity. I have seen experts estimating anywhere between 70–90%. 

Dr. Philip J. Landrigan puts the number at 85%. 

The drop in vaccine demand makes 85% seem unrealistic. 

Even Dr. Fauci has adjusted his goals not to include reaching herd immunity.

If herd immunity is off the table, Covid will always exist at some level. 

We will have to learn to live with some level of covid, and there is no better time to start than now. 

Current levels are low enough for Los Angeles hospitals to handle. That makes it important to start making the mental shift to living normally. 

It’s important to start the shift soon because it takes time. Some people will jump right back into their pre-covid lives. Others will take time. 

Either way, things are getting better, and that’s a reason to celebrate. 

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