COVID-19: What’s next for us after the delta surge is over

Oct 10, 2021 Dr Zulfikar Bux, Features / Columnists

By Dr. Zulfikar Bux
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center

Kaieteur News – We are still in the middle of the delta wave in Guyana which seems to have hit its peak already. The current seven-day average of 160 cases daily, is an encouraging sign given that approximately three weeks ago, the seven-day average was hovering around 250 cases daily. Once this downward trend continues, the worst of the delta surge should be over as we enter into the month of November, 2021. This will be welcomed as it has been a difficult period for us all over the past two months. Today, I wish to give my thoughts on what may be ahead for us after the delta wave is over.
Prepare for the next variant?
Delta has been the most infectious and deadly form of this virus thus far. Naturally occurring viruses tend to weaken with time and become less infectious. Once this is a naturally occurring virus, it is expected to weaken and become less of a threat to us in the near future. There may be newer variants of concern in the future but chances of them being more a threat than the delta variant is less likely. However, we still need to prevent these strains from forming as they can become vaccine resistant and still cause deaths albeit at lower proportions.
The mental health challenges
Many experts have predicted that the mental health challenges that are occurring from COVID-19 may be a spinoff pandemic by itself. The anxiety, depression, insomnia, dementia and paranoia that occur from COVID-19 are not yet fully understood but are affecting a substantial proportion of the population. These mental health challenges, if not properly addressed, can lead to loss of many more lives and stagnate economic recovery after the pandemic is over.
Long COVID among survivors
Long COVID is the long term medical effect of COVID-19 on some of its survivors that negatively impacts their daily function and living. In addition to the mental health effects mentioned above, some long COVID patients have to deal with kidney failure, lung damage affecting their breathing, strokes, unexplained pains, heart ailments and many other unexplained conditions that hamper their livelihood. It may affect between 10 to 25 percent of COVID-19 survivors and will be an additional need that healthcare systems have to address as the focus is slowly diverted from COVID-19 when the pandemic is over.
Will it ever end?
None of us know with absolute certainty the answer to this question. Based on other pandemics and the behaviour of the Sars-cov-2 virus so far, the best answer (guess) is that the virus will remain with us for the foreseeable future. Given how much this virus has mutated, it is likely that it will weaken but remain with us and behave similar to how the influenza (flu) virus is behaving. There may be a seasonal rise of new variants that are not as deadly but threatening enough to infect many and be a bother to society.
Hopefully, science will rise above the challenges and find more effective treatments and vaccines that will help eradicate this virus in the years to come. Until then, we have to live with it and our best options continue to be vaccines and mask wearing.

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