The pandemic forecast from the University of Washington has cast a dark shadow
over the United States of America. Taking the best bet, close to 200,000
people are likely to lose their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic from now till
May 1.  

So far, over 430,000 people have already died in the pandemic.
Following protocol, all of a sudden will not magically pull us out of this
cobweb, as the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, predicted the death
of at least 130,000 more people in the next three sums of money but it might help
slow its spread.

With new mutations aplenty, virologists have predicted that the virus
will continue to mutate.  

Also Read | Face masks made mandatory in US public transport to curb spread of new COVID-19 strain

“This virus
will continue for certain to evolve and mutate,” Dr Anthony Fauci,
director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said
during a call with reporters on Friday.

While mass vaccinations
are in the process, most Americans will not be getting the shot before summer.

So, shifting to the original protocol but in higher intensity is the way to deal with the pandemic. 

President Joe Biden
signed on the first executive order, a federal mask order, prioritising health
over everything. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking
over the prospects of double-masks.

More testing is
another way to ensure the cure of people suffering from COVID-19. The new
administration has imposed more strict testing requirements for international
travel.

Also Read | Canadian PM Justin Trudeau announces mandatory hotel quarantine for travellers

The new CDC
director, Dr Rochelle Walensky, said that Americans must fight with all their
might.

“The emergence of
variants underscores the need for public health action. First, get vaccinated
when it’s your turn,” Walensky told a White House briefing this week.

“Second, wear a
mask. Practice social distancing and wash your hands. And finally, now is not the time to
travel. But, if you must, be safe and follow the CDC guidance.”

If people followed
social distancing and mask guidelines, 30,000 less people would die by May 1,
the IHME said.

Almost 25-30% of
people in the US consider wearing a mask as shameful.

As the pandemic
stretches on, the more people will shift towards a casual attitude.

Speaking on vaccination,
Fauci said, “The best way to prevent further evolution of a
virus is to prevent it from replicating and you do that by vaccinating people as
quickly as you can.”

But the hope of
vaccines may, paradoxically, encourage people to ease up on other measures, just as they should be doubling down.

Vaccines are not
only the harbinger of hope, but also of reduced measures and more carelessness.
 

“The same old
precautions — masks, social distancing, etc. — are about to become even more
important,” Sandman said.