How has the pandemic changed after two years?

How has the coronavirus pandemic changed after two years? More and more countries are choosing to return to normality and learn to live with the virus.

Safe and effective vaccines have been developed, and it is better known how to treat infected people. Two years after the start of the pandemic, questions remain about the COVID-19but experts know much more about how to control it.

The virus spreads primarily through the air when an infected person exhales, speaks, coughs, or sneezes. That is the reason why the health authorities have encouraged the use of masks and the ventilation of spaces, instead of focusing on the advice to clean surfaces, as was the case at the beginning.

Treatment for those who become ill or need to be hospitalized has also evolved. Among the existing options are antivirals, such as the drug remdesivir or the new pills developed by Pfizer and Merck; anti-inflammatory drugs, including steroids, and, depending on the variant circulating, laboratory-made antibodies to attack the virus.

“The world has seen us learn in real time how to treat COVID-19”said Neil J Sehgaladjunct professor of health policy and management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Coronavirus vaccines have also been developed in record time. Until the beginning of March, ten formulas had received the authorization of the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use.

However, their distribution has been unequal despite an international effort to distribute them more fairly, and misinformation has fueled reluctance to get vaccinated.

And there is still much to learn. Studies are underway to better understand persistent COVID-19, which can last for months after initial infection. In addition, scientists are on the lookout to identify the next fast-spreading variant.

“In the end, all countries will have to learn to live with the coronavirus”Sehgal noted.