Coronavirus Briefing: How to ‘Live with’ Covid – The New York Times

For the first year of the pandemic, I routinely received questions from friends, family, patients and acquaintances about how to think about risk in different situations before making decisions, Eisenberg said. Now, hardly anyone asks those questions and most people have settled on their own conclusions about what works for them.

We recently asked readers: Are you ready to live with the virus? Its a hot topic: Nearly 3,000 of you wrote in. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts. If youd like to continue the conversation, you can tell us how you feel in the comments section here.

Its time to start living with Covid by normalizing it. Its a virus. It will keep mutating. Its never going to be over, no matter how long we make concessions. And if its never over, as a nation, we cant grieve, find closure, adapt and help each other and our kids find silver linings and hope. We need to begin the healing process. We need to allow the healthy to start living. Ariele Taylor, Bay Area, Calif.

If living with the virus means letting down my guard, then NO. Im not remotely ready. Im prepared to wear masks for the rest of my life, if need be. Im not going to get casual about Covid. Im 74. Im already dealing with fibromyalgia. I dont want long-Covid on top of that! For me, masking up when I go out is an inconvenience I can live with. Kathryn Janus, Chicago

Covid boosters. Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that booster shots against the coronavirus lose much of their potency after about four months, adding to evidence suggesting that some Americans may need a fourth dose.

Vaccines for young children. The Food and Drug Administration said that it would wait for dataon the effectiveness of three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in children younger than 5 before deciding whether to authorize the vaccine for that age group.

Yes, we need to stop dividing citizens over vaccination choice and vaccine passports for good. We havent been able to enjoy restaurants, festivals, museums or any kind of travel because of this requirement, due to different vaccine statuses in our family. I am sympathetic to the most vulnerable and immunocompromised, but unless the government can approve more viable treatments for Covid, they are not the only people fighting to survive this pandemic. We have exhausted teachers, business owners, restaurant staff, grocery store clerks, pharmacists, retail workers all bearing the brunt of restrictions that they need to enforce on an equally exhausted population. By living with the virus, we are equipped with knowing what to do if we get infected, we have new protocols to self-isolate, to wear masks, or even get vaccinated if one feels unsafe. Beyond that, there is not much more we can do as a person. Dahlia, Montreal

I am ready! I want to travel with my family, do my job in full capacity and have my child in school without a mask if they choose. It has been long enough and its time to let people start choosing which precautions they want to take. You can wear a mask for the rest of your life should you choose. No one will ever stop you from doing that. Stacy Foster, Portland, Ore.

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Coronavirus Briefing: How to 'Live with' Covid - The New York Times