The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has been releasing different sets consisting of guidelines for coronavirus precaution since the earliest breakouts. Even after a whole year of the pandemic, the instructions have had little to no changes. However, they are still effective and required to control the spread even after vaccine rollouts.
Perhaps that is why many people are planning to continue to follow the guidelines even after the pandemic is over as shown by a new survey conducted by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The survey included over two thousand people and comprised of questions about different instructions for coronavirus prevention.
Out of the total number of participants, as many as seventy-two percent stated that they would wear a mask in everyday life even if the virus is no longer a third. In addition, ninety percent of the participants said they would also wash their hands frequently, carry sanitizers and maintain the same level of hygiene.
Around eighty percent expressed they would prefer avoiding large gatherings and crowds. Seventy-two percent of these participants further added that they would even avoid shaking hands, hugging, or having any kind of physical contact.
According to experts, these are some of the very few positive outcomes of the pandemic. People are now more aware of the lack of hygiene in their lives prior to the start of the crisis.
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Secondly, they are more cautious than ever now about taking specific steps for prevention when getting having any illness as the results of the survey also showed that seventy-three percent of participants saying they would work from home when sick.
All of these changes in the everyday life can also help in control over other pathogens and infections. For instance, in the recent flu season, the fewest number of cases of H1N1 flu were reported in the US. This decrease in H1N1 infections as a result of preventive measures most people were taking for SARS-CoV-2.
Like flu, other infections can too be controlled by following similar steps. In any future breakouts and epidemics, the majority will be aware of at least the basic steps of prevention and safety.
In addition to the local population, the medical and healthcare systems will also be improved and better prepared for handling epidemics as the pandemic revealed a number of flaws in the current system. However, this will only happen if the ongoing crisis has ended completely.
When will the coronavirus pandemic end? Currently, there is no clear answer. There are multiple factors that play a major role in ending the crisis including distribution of vaccines, general public behavior, official policies for coronavirus control, and the rise of new variants.
It should also be noted that a growing resistance among young adults to follow guidelines is also equally important. Although the majority does follow the instructions and wishes to continue doing so, as shown by the survey, there are some people who are doing the exact opposite.
The number of such people may be low but it can significantly contribute to virus spread and slow down progress over the pandemic. Therefore, all people need to take precautions as it is important in ending the pandemic in the coming months.