Isn’t 2021 going to be better because of vaccines?

Dr Shahid Jameel, Virologist and Director, Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University, tells us:

Does this mean we cannot spend time with families and loved ones?

Dr Shahid Jamil tells us that the close family is like a bubble. We are aware of each other’s activities and can know where one person is going or whom they are meeting. This is a controlled environment, so there is no need to worry too much. But if you meet people about whom you do not have all this information, it is better to wear your mask.

Can I travel abroad in 2021?

Although this is a personal choice, we must only try and travel when absolutely necessary. “We should restrict our travels because the state of infection in different regions is not uniform. Cases are rising in some countries but coming down in others. This is the case even within a nation - with some states or cities witnessing worse outcomes than others,” Dr Arvinder Singh Soin explains.

Will changes in the virus lead to more outbreaks in future?

Dr Jameel reminds us that mutations are a part of a virus’ life cycle and are bound to happen. What happened in the UK was expected. The more we bring down transmission, the lesser chances the virus will get to mutate. But we must understand that this is normal, and we cannot control a natural phenomenon such as virus mutations. Dr Soin too cautions that till at least 60-70% of the population is not vaccinated and herd immunity is not attained, there will always be the chance of more outbreaks. Therefore, vaccination drives will have to be sped up.

What should we expect from 2021?

Yuval Noah Harari, historian and author of ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ said at a BBC program in April that the humankind has all that is needed to stop this pandemic – and we are at a much better position than we were in the medieval ages. “We know what is happening, we know why people are dying, and we know what to do about it,” he added.

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COVID-19: What Will Life Look Like in 2021? Health Experts Answer

Vaccine developments are coming in as a ray of sunshine, but are we looking away from reality? We spoke to experts.

Kaushiky Kashyap

Published: 29 Dec 2020, 7:08 PM IST

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It’s been a year already, and the world is still under the tight grip of COVID-19.

2020 was a year marked by fear and apprehension. As all possible efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic still continued, the news of new, and potentially even more infectious variants of the virus came from the United Kingdom and South Africa, causing widespread concern about a resurgence across the globe.

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COVID-19: What Will Life Look Like in 2021? Health Experts Answer

Vaccine developments are coming in as a ray of sunshine, but are we looking away from reality? We spoke to experts.

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