COVID fight requires a careful transition to normalcy

There can be no declaration of victory.

That is becoming increasingly clear in the fight against COVID-19. There will be no singular parade in the streets, no universal trashing of masks, no triumphant presidential speech where COVID is declared eradicated for all and always. The pre-vaccine moment when New York was a disease epicenter is long past, but two years later full, widespread herd immunity to this coronavirus seems far away.

All the more reason to start planning now for Long Island’s transition from pandemic to endemic.

With the current COVID reality in the region, including the downward trend of COVID metrics, it is not necessary to be in a forever state of emergency. The omicron wave continues to wane, with hospitalizations and case numbers down from January highs. Vaccines, better treatment methods, and some protection due to the sheer number of previous, recent infections appear to be having an effect. New York’s infection to hospitalization ratio during omicron was significantly below that of delta last year. Even during this latest wave, vaccines and boosters made Long Island’s elderly and those with serious health conditions much safer than they were in 2020.

That changed reality means it’s time for a less-restricted life on Long Island. But COVID has proved itself to be swift to bedevil and change, with new variants complicating our societal recovery and resisting a simple defeat of the disease.

It’s possible that a new variant, waning immunity, or any other curveball from COVID could require the return of certain restrictions. We need guidelines that can help elected officials, schools, businesses, and really all of us respond smartly to any new COVID obstacles. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in a Feb. 3 letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul called for "clear benchmarks that can be communicated to the public."

PREPPING SCHOOLS

That seems to be what Hochul is doing in preparing preliminary guidance for schools once the masks come off, perhaps after winter break, including advice on how to deal with the COVID cases that will occur.

We should do even more to navigate the coming confusing months: Regional advisory councils made up of doctors, teachers, clergy, and leaders from all sectors of civic society could help communities understand and accept new measures and help state and county officials assess regional COVID metrics like hospitalizations and the trajectory of infection rates. The councils also could make reasoned risk assessment recommendations about what metrics would trigger which restrictions — and when they could be lifted.

As we drop some restrictions like universal masking in most places, it’s all the more important to bolster other, more targeted efforts to keep people safe from COVID. Growing access to antiviral treatments could mean quick aid for vulnerable people who test positive.

Continuing to press for vaccination is necessary, as will be the uphill battle to get Long Islanders to sign up for boosters now and in the coming months. There’s no better way to encourage booster and vaccination uptake than taking the shots right to those who need them, in the same way that businesses and pharmacies offer flu shots every fall. For COVID, we should have more programs like the Mount Sinai South Nassau "Vaxmobile" operated with federal CARES Act funding from the Town of Hempstead. The Vaxmobile has hit the road to communities like Elmont, Freeport, and Westbury, according to Mount Sinai, providing nearly 11,000 COVID vaccines, including boosters for college students coming back to Long Island schools for the spring semester.

FUTURE VARIANTS

Nationally, the federal government must do more to help state and local governments prepare for future waves and make sure we’re aware of variants popping up here and around the world.

Much of Long Island is already fully open, from restaurants to office sites to entertainment venues. A real part of the rest of the transition to endemic COVID will be about shifting attitudes for those segments of the population who have been careful for so long.

Those people deserve clear, science- and risk-based guidelines that explain the lifting of restrictions — and similar guidelines when it may be necessary to expect the reintroduction of more protections.

They also deserve the patience and respect of their neighbors. Good masks and convenient access to testing should be available for immunocompromised or otherwise vulnerable people still trying to keep COVID at bay for themselves or their loved ones at a time when the disease is still circulating in significant numbers.

Targeting those businesses or individuals who want or need to keep masks around would be a role for fools. It has been a difficult — and in many cases tragic — two years for too many.

We must savor our slow, drawn-out, perhaps temporary victory however we can. Heading quietly and peacefully in that direction is the only possibility for "normalcy."