When the COVID-19 pandemic vanishes into history (which, to be clear, isn’t happening yet), no one in the world will mourn its passing. But that’s not to say every single change we’ve made to accommodate the crisis has been a bad thing. Here are five COVID-related practices we’ve learned to live with—and that I’ll miss if they go.
Wearing masks on public transportation
According to the American Public Transportation Association, in 2019, the last year before the pandemic shut down much of the world, 34 million Americans boarded public transit each weekday—more than 9 billion a year. In big cities especially, that kind of crowding makes subways, buses, trains, and light rails petri dishes for germs. Mandatory masking on public transportation during the pandemic helped keep COVID-19 under control in those settings—and it could do the same against more common respiratory illnesses like colds and flu in the fall and winter. Now that we’ve gotten into the masking on public-transit habit, let’s keep it up.
Curbside pickup
What could be easier than curbside pick-up? Just place your order online, cruise to the store, and grab your package, which will be waiting for you outside. According to a study by Salesforce, 39% of U.S. retail executives introduced curbside pickup during the pandemic, generating up to $72.5 billion in sales in 2020. Cash for the seller and convenience for the buyer—without having to interact with other people and their germs. What’s not to like?
The rise of telehealth
According to a study by McKinsey & Company, telehealth visits—for both physical and psychological care—have increased 38-fold since the start of the pandemic. Early in the pandemic, one survey of members of the American Psychiatric Association found that before COVID-19 hit, only 2% of U.S. psychiatrists reported using teletherapy with their patients most of the time. Once COVID-19 ran riot, that figure jumped to 84%. The telehealth door has been blown wide open as a result of the pandemic—making health care easier for both doctors and patients. I hope it doesn’t close afterwards.
The end of the handshake
The human hand has an average of 150 different species of bacteria living on it at any moment (not to mention the cold and flu viruses), according to research conducted before the COVID-19 virus joined the pathogen list. Yes, the coronavirus is principally spread by air, but early in the pandemic, before the transmissibility routes were known, the handshake fell out of vogue . I say keep it that way. COVID-19 or not, colds and flu are transmissible by touch. If you must touch hands to feel like you’ve exchanged a real greeting, the Cleveland Clinic recommends the fist bump. One 2014 study found that the transfer of germs is “dramatically reduced” when bumping a cool, dry fist replaces clasping a warm, damp hand.
No more coming to work sick
In the Before Times, it was a badge of honor to come to work even when you were feeling sick. Thankfully, those days are over. Clearly, the office is a no-go zone if you test positive for COVID-19, but those play-it-safe practices increasingly apply to other more common illnesses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend staying home with a cold, flu, or other illness—to say nothing of COVID-19. So-called “presenteeism” —showing up to work even when you are sick—may not only earn you glares from co-workers worried about catching what you’ve got, but it also hurts a company’s bottom line. According to the Adecco Group, a global human resources organization, presenteeism costs U.S. and European businesses an average of $45 billion per year, due to low productivity from workers who are on the job even when they are too sick to work effectively.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
More than 378.3 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 5.6 million people have died. On Jan. 31, there were more than 3.6 million new cases and 9,564 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending, in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded nearly 75 million coronavirus cases as of 12 a.m. E.T. today. More than 886,600 people have died. On Jan. 31, there were 608,201 new cases and 2,422 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Feb. 1, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Regulators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are urging Pfizer to apply for emergency use authorization for a two-dose regimen of its shots for the 6-month to 5-year age group , even as the company awaits data on the effectiveness of a three-dose regimen in that cohort, reports the Associated Press. The company is expected to comply, submitting its application as early as today, with approval perhaps coming this month. Pfizer data has shown that the two-dose regimen is safe and effective in young children—but less so than a three-dose regimen in adults. The FDA hopes to get kids protected with two shots as soon as possible to protect them from the Omicron wave and then roll out the third jab pending results of an ongoing study.
Latin America, already hit hard by the pandemic, faces soaring inflation and growing emigration as the Omicron surge worsens, reports the Wall Street Journal. Despite representing just 8% of the world’s population, Latin America has suffered 30% of overall COVID-19 deaths. Economic growth in the region is predicted to be just 2.4% this year, down from 6.8% a year ago. The battered economy is also expected to drive more Latin Americans to attempt to cross into the U.S., exacerbating a record number of apprehensions at the border, which exceeded 500,000 people from October to December 2021.
Britain’s Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, plans to ease vaccine requirements for front-line health care workers, reports the New York Times. Under current policies, all National Health Service employees have to be fully vaccinated by April 1, 2022—and that regulation has been successful, with an estimated 95% of workers having gotten their shots. That, however, still leaves 77,000 unvaccinated. But Javid cites the dominance of the Omicron variant, which is less deadly than Delta, as a reason to ease restrictions.
Florida’s Orange County Public Schools, the ninth largest school district in the U.S., is no longer providing “excused absences” when parents keep healthy children home as a preventive measure during COVID-19 surges, reports The Washington Post. Children who test positive or exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, however, will continue to be given excused absences. In a statement, school board officials cited both the declining number of cases in the district and the “additional strain on our teachers as they continue to manage assignments for large numbers of absent students.”
Scientists in South Africa are initiating studies of people infected with both HIV and COVID-19, reports Reuters, trying to determine if the dual conditions help spawn SARS-CoV-2 variants. Several studies, including one published last week by the South African team, have shown that COVID-19 lingers longer in people with weakened immune systems, providing the virus more time to accumulate mutations.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jeffrey Kluger and edited by Angela Haupt.
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