12.31.2022 | Forbes
By Steve Brozak
In May 2020, Dr. Rick Bright, former director of BARDA, warned Congress that, without ramped up coronavirus pandemic preparedness, we would face the darkest winter in modern history. His warnings were spot on, however there has been precious little follow through and that will be a problem in 2023.
As a result of previous Dark Winters, 385,433 died during the season in 2020 and another 463,203 the following 2021 season even after vaccines became available. Now we find ourselves facing a third dark winter as we enter 2023. Here are seven considerations that need to be addressed to avoid future dark winter(s).
1. The “Perfect Storm” (Influenza/RSV) will pass; Covid-19 will not.
The well-publicized perfect storm of Covid-19, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will soon fall from the headlines because infections from the latter two have peaked early. The CDC anticipates an earlier than usual decline in both influenza and RSV infections. What is not going to decline is Covid-19.
A harbinger of what the US will experience comes from the north as 2022 has been Canada’s deadliest year since the pandemic began. A troubling observation is the shift in public attitudes regarding Covid-19 that mirror those of many Americans. Canadian ethicists and medical professionals see their society willing to live with Covid-19 and return to normal lives if the worst effects are confined to specific populations. This attitude is easy to understand, but not so easy to accept.
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