Another Year of COVID-19, Variants and Restrictions
2021-12-28
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1There was so much to look forward to at the start of 2021.
2The question was when, and not if, the health crisis that spread from a market in Wuhan, China would finally end.
3Scientists developed two highly effective vaccines against the coronavirus in record time.
4Several more were waiting for approval.
5Governments in the United States, Europe, and Israel spent billions of dollars to start the biggest vaccination program in history.
6The effort included vaccines from drug companies Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and others.
7China and Russia developed their own vaccines.
8And the UN-backed COVAX program purchased shots for developing and poor countries around the world.
9In May, the U.S. and Western nations expanded the program to vaccinate young children.
10Health officials issued new guidelines advising that fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear face coverings in most situations.
11The move was seen as the first step toward returning to normal conditions that existed before the pandemic.
12But, scientists began to worry about the new versions of the coronavirus, called variants, soon after people started to receive the new vaccines.
13It is normal for viruses to mutate, or change, over time.
14A mutation that strengthens the virus helps it to spread by pushing out the weaker versions.
15In February, the head of Britain's vaccination effort said the world faced around 4,000 variants of the virus that causes COVID-19.
16But only some would raise concern.
17There were so many "variants of concern" with hard-to-remember scientific names that the World Health Organization (WHO) started to name them after the letters of the Greek alphabet.
18The two most worrisome variants now are Delta and Omicron.
19In the early days of the pandemic, many Asian countries appeared to have successfully fought the virus with strong measures.
20By July, countries, including Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand, were setting records for new cases and deaths.
21The Delta variant appeared at a difficult time.
22When it started being reported, vaccination rates remained low in many countries.
23And officials were moving quickly to reopen economies.
24Then, infections of the Delta variant became widespread. Governments, businesses, and schools reacted with more vaccination requirements and restrictions.
25Some countries started to restrict international travelers and closed borders over concerns about the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
26The U.S., Israel, Britain, and other nations now advised their citizens to get an additional shot, called a booster, to fight the new variant.
27After another year of face coverings, restrictions, vaccines and variants, people are beginning to wonder whether this pandemic will ever go away.
28The answer is yes and no.
29Many scientists believe that the new coronavirus is here to stay.
30In February, the science publication Nature reported the results of a study involving more than 100 scientists.
31Eighty-nine percent said they believed the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the one that causes COVID-19 disease, will become endemic.
32Endemic means the virus will continue to exist in some areas for years to come.
33For example, Malaria is considered endemic to many warm, wet areas across countries in Asia, Africa, and South America.
34But it is not a problem in the United States or other Western nations.
35The way to end a pandemic is to reach herd immunity.
36Herd immunity is when many people in a community either have recovered from an infection or have been vaccinated.
37It does not mean everyone is protected from the virus.
38However, when herd immunity is reached, the virus can no longer spread easily, which helps protect those who are at risk.
39As nations joined together to fight the pandemic, health officials started to sound the alarm about another public health crisis: mental health.
40The U.S. Surgeon General said the pandemic's high number of deaths, forced social distancing, and lockdowns of the economies have created new pressure, especially on young people.
41He wrote, "It would be a tragedy if we beat back one public health crisis only to allow another to grow in its place."
42There is hope, however.
43In early November, American drug-maker Pfizer reported that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cuts hospitalizations and death rates by nearly 90 percent in high-risk adults.
44This came after Merck had reported success in testing its version of the COVID-19 pill a month earlier.
45Although health officials have already approved several treatments for COVID-19, all of them must be injected by healthcare workers.
46But pills can be taken at home and are easier to send around the world.
47Both companies have since agreed to provide other drug-makers with special permission to produce the COVID pills.
48The move is aimed at helping people in poorer countries get the drug.
49I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1There was so much to look forward to at the start of 2021. 2The question was when, and not if, the health crisis that spread from a market in Wuhan, China would finally end. 3Scientists developed two highly effective vaccines against the coronavirus in record time. Several more were waiting for approval. 4Vaccines 5Governments in the United States, Europe, and Israel spent billions of dollars to start the biggest vaccination program in history. The effort included vaccines from drug companies Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and others. 6China and Russia developed their own vaccines. And the UN-backed COVAX program purchased shots for developing and poor countries around the world. 7In May, the U.S. and Western nations expanded the program to vaccinate young children. Health officials issued new guidelines advising that fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear face coverings in most situations. The move was seen as the first step toward returning to normal conditions that existed before the pandemic. 8Variants 9But, scientists began to worry about the new versions of the coronavirus, called variants, soon after people started to receive the new vaccines. 10It is normal for viruses to mutate, or change, over time. A mutation that strengthens the virus helps it to spread by pushing out the weaker versions. In February, the head of Britain's vaccination effort said the world faced around 4,000 variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. But only some would raise concern. 11There were so many "variants of concern" with hard-to-remember scientific names that the World Health Organization (WHO) started to name them after the letters of the Greek alphabet. The two most worrisome variants now are Delta and Omicron. 12In the early days of the pandemic, many Asian countries appeared to have successfully fought the virus with strong measures. By July, countries, including Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand, were setting records for new cases and deaths. The Delta variant appeared at a difficult time. When it started being reported, vaccination rates remained low in many countries. And officials were moving quickly to reopen economies. Then, infections of the Delta variant became widespread. Governments, businesses, and schools reacted with more vaccination requirements and restrictions. 13Some countries started to restrict international travelers and closed borders over concerns about the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The U.S., Israel, Britain, and other nations now advised their citizens to get an additional shot, called a booster, to fight the new variant. 14Will it ever disappear? 15After another year of face coverings, restrictions, vaccines and variants, people are beginning to wonder whether this pandemic will ever go away. 16The answer is yes and no. 17Many scientists believe that the new coronavirus is here to stay. In February, the science publication Nature reported the results of a study involving more than 100 scientists. Eighty-nine percent said they believed the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the one that causes COVID-19 disease, will become endemic. Endemic means the virus will continue to exist in some areas for years to come. 18For example, Malaria is considered endemic to many warm, wet areas across countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. But it is not a problem in the United States or other Western nations. 19The way to end a pandemic is to reach herd immunity. Herd immunity is when many people in a community either have recovered from an infection or have been vaccinated. It does not mean everyone is protected from the virus. However, when herd immunity is reached, the virus can no longer spread easily, which helps protect those who are at risk. 20As nations joined together to fight the pandemic, health officials started to sound the alarm about another public health crisis: mental health. 21The U.S. Surgeon General said the pandemic's high number of deaths, forced social distancing, and lockdowns of the economies have created new pressure, especially on young people. 22He wrote, "It would be a tragedy if we beat back one public health crisis only to allow another to grow in its place." 23Hopeful signs 24There is hope, however. 25In early November, American drug-maker Pfizer reported that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cuts hospitalizations and death rates by nearly 90 percent in high-risk adults. This came after Merck had reported success in testing its version of the COVID-19 pill a month earlier. 26Although health officials have already approved several treatments for COVID-19, all of them must be injected by healthcare workers. But pills can be taken at home and are easier to send around the world. 27Both companies have since agreed to provide other drug-makers with special permission to produce the COVID pills. The move is aimed at helping people in poorer countries get the drug. 28I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 29Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 30_________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32allow -v. to permit something to happen, for example, to be used or sold 33pill -n. a small, rounded object that you swallow and that contains medicine, vitamins, or some treatment 34We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.