Washington Post Despite “FLiRT” variants, this may be the first covid wave with little federal pressure to limit transmission or data to even declare a surge.
By now, it’s as familiar as sunscreen hitting the shelves: Americans are headed into another summer with new coronavirus variants and a likely uptick in cases.
This is shaping up to be the first covid wave with barely anyfederal pressure to limit transmission and little data to even declare a surge. People are no longer advised to isolate for five days after testing positive. Free tests are hard to come by. Soon, uninsured people will no longer be able toget coronavirus vaccines free.
“If a wave materializes this summer, we’re less poised to navigate the rough waters,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, an epidemiologist and long-covid researcher at the Veterans Affairs health-care system in St. Louis.
So we’re left with a virus that continues to hum in the background as an ever-present pathogen and sporadic killer. The public health establishment no longer treats covid as a top priority.Only a smattering of passengers still wear masks on trains and planes. Weddings, vacations and conferences carry on as normal. Many who do get sick won’t ever know it’s covid. Or care.