COVID-19: Where to From Here?
February 22, 2022
We rode the COVID-19 rocket to a record-shattering number of new cases from mid-December 2021 through mid-January 2022, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant. So what’s next? There’s good news — and a caution.
The promising news is that new cases in the U.S. as a whole have been trending sharply downward for the past month, and we’re now back to pre-spike numbers. As a result, many more county and state governments are ending mask mandates and loosening restrictions on public gatherings.
But we shouldn’t let our guard down quite yet: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), community transmission of Covid remains in the red zone — the highest level — for the vast majority of U.S. counties. (Check out the CDC’s map of community transmission, where you can also find statistics for your county.)
Staying Ahead of Future Spikes
What does all this mean? It means that, while the worst appears to be over for the moment, Covid is still a risk and remains highly contagious. We have to make wise choices to minimize the chance of future spikes in the virus. At CoolSys, we view every member of our team as family. We care about you, your loved ones and your customers. That’s why we’re asking you to continue to follow these safeguards:
Get vaccinated. Nothing protects you and your loved ones better than being fully vaccinated and getting recommended booster shots. Vaccines have proven to be highly effective at protecting people from getting Covid — and even more effective at preventing hospitalization from the virus. It’s not too late to be vaccinated, and your choice to get the shot will make a difference in the future path of COVID-19.
Continue Covid safety precautions. Wear a mask whenever you’re indoors with people who don’t live with you. (Read the CDC’s guidelines about various types of masks.) Maintain six feet between yourself and others. Avoid large crowds of people — particularly in poorly ventilated indoor locations. And wash your hands often with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer. (Learn more about standard precautions for Covid.)
Follow your customers’ wishes. Even if you work in an area where mask rules have been lifted, please be sensitive to your customers’ own policies regarding mask-wearing. If they require their employees to wear masks or if they specifically ask you to wear a mask, please do so without question. The same is true for any other Covid precautions your customers continue to follow.
Most experts agree that Covid is here to stay, so the goal now is to move from pandemic to endemic — similar to where we are with the common cold or seasonal flu. We appreciate your help in keeping future Covid spikes at bay as nature takes its course. Thank you for all you do, every day, to care for our customers and your fellow team members!