It seems to be that people don’t care as much about Covid anymore. People have stopped wearing masks in public places and the world has seemingly gone back to normal. But the question is, what has happened with Covid? Is it getting better?

Governments have scaled back on reporting Covid statistics, like reporting new cases weekly instead of daily. This makes it harder to know if things are actually getting better, because it is harder to predict if there are or will be any new surges and less can be done about it. A lot of people test at home or don’t even test at all, making case numbers less reliable. 

With mask mandates pretty much gone, people are still catching Covid-19. Even the vaccinated, which is a cause for danger because the more vaccinated people that contract Covid-19, the less resistant the vaccine will be to the virus because of the new variants and mutations. 

Covid is unfortunately not improving as much as the world would like. There is yet another mutant of the virus which is a subvariant of omicron called BA.2.12.1. This variant is spreading way easier than previous variants, which worries experts because mask mandates have basically ended. 

A big mask mandate that has just ended is the airlines. On April 18, the federal transportation mask mandate was lifted, so now anyone who flies will get to choose if they wear one or not. Other forms of transportation that lifted their mandate after the April 18 ruling are:  buses, subways, trains, Uber and Lyft. 

Scientists are agreeing that with this small hiatus we had where cases were going down, the country should be using this time to prepare for another possible wave (which seems to be already happening). A way this can be done is through a broader use of wastewater testing as an early warning system and assurance that our rapid test and PPE supply chains are strong and responsive to transmission surges. Improving preparedness and ensuring good systems for early outbreak detection are key to make sure the worst is behind us.

The question of “is the worst over?” is kind of a dangerous one. People may think the worst is over for them, but for others who have poor access to healthcare and other vulnerabilities could still be living through the worst effects. People who think the worst is over will take less caution against those who are still vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19. Some places don’t even have access to vaccines yet. Just because some countries are improving does not mean that others are. This is still a global pandemic. 

It is really up to the individual now on how they protect themselves against Covid-19. Like deciding to wear a mask or getting vaccinated or boosted. There may never be a definite answer on when this pandemic will end. It is likely that the world will be living with this for a long, long time, so it is possible that the worst may still be ahead.