Evolving Our COVID-19 Coverage: A Letter from the Editors March 11, 2022, marked the 2-year anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, globally, there have been more than 450 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 6 million associated deaths. The United States has reported more than 79 million confirmed cases and more than 962,000 associated deaths. Currently, 65 percent of the eligible population over the age of 5 is fully vaccinated, with many having also received a booster. Across much of the industrialized world, this winter's Omicron surge is in a rapid retreat. Based on encouraging observations and data, governments in North America, the European Union, and elsewhere are relaxing many of the mandates and lifting measures that were initially employed to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect vulnerable populations. With millions of people now protected against serious disease through vaccination or prior infection, the forthcoming availability of first-line therapeutics, and 2 years of knowledge about how this virus spreads, the situation is becoming increasingly manageable. While it is highly unlikely that we will ever eradicate the coronavirus, we are at a point where we can begin to think about a not-so-distant future where we treat this like an endemic virus similar to seasonal influenza. That is not to say it will be harmless for all. Additionally, we are also at an inflection point where we must start to address the emotional and mental health issues brought on by 2 years of fear, loss, uncertainty, and lives interrupted. With that in mind, we are announcing some changes to our ongoing COVID-19 coverage. Effective immediately, we are pausing our daily COVID-19 newsletters as well as our daily live update blogs. As a subscriber, you will be offered the opportunity to continue to receive our daily health news. We will, of course, continue to cover all relevant COVID-19 topics, including vaccines, treatments, and future variants as well as the management of chronic symptoms associated with long COVID. In addition to recognizing the mental health issues many are experiencing, we will also focus on the ongoing humanitarian crisis of vaccine equity both domestically and abroad. COVID-19 will likely be with us for the foreseeable future, but it is also time to recognize that we are in a very different place than we were 2 years ago. With cautious optimism, The Healthline News Editors: Angela Chao David Mills Gillian Mohney Jase Peeples Robert Hanson Tim Snaith Yazz Sakay |
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