Fourth Wave Of COVID-19 Impacting Countries Worldwide

Driven by the highly infectious Delta Variant, the fourth wave of COVID-19 is estimated to be worse than all the other previous waves witnessed by the US. The catastrophe had already started unfolding in some major American states. The loosening restrictions and re-opening business in all parts of the world will further accelerate the contagion of the fourth wave, especially in the US, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Raising the question; will a virus that caused the death of over 4.5 million people globally be eradicated by a global vaccination campaign? The world’s yearning for a quick fix has converged towards rapid vaccination, a solution that is supposed to quash the virus once and for all. But experts fear that pinning hope to a medical end of the pandemic is not a safe bet. “The virus is here to stay; the question is; how do we live with it safely?”

The Critical Intermission

Since the beginning, medical experts have been tagging the Covid as an endemic disease- one that stubbornly resists and fights against the efforts to eradicate it. The proposition of a coronavirus-tinged world with no foreseeable end is daunting but a daylight reality. Furthermore, the new, highly contagious coronavirus delta variant found in over 150 countries, must not be taken lightly. Embracing the new reality is crucial for significant policy changes at both national and international levels.

But as the infection rates are falling, people have started venturing out for their long-held vacations, malls, and other crowded public places. In the previous waves, these populated areas turned out to be the breeding ground for this contagious virus. The declining rate of Covid infections has filled us with a hope of a soon back-to-normal life. But achieving the current decline required worldwide lockdowns, a devastating blow to the economy and mental health. All this was put in place to grant researchers and policymakers some time to think, plan and prepare.

Leaders’ desperation to reopen the economies with short-term crisis management solutions could lead the world again to square one. Fortunately, technological advancement can help us create a more resilient world. Robots and automation technologies are already building a more buoyant future.

Long-Term Solutions

Battling the endemic disease will need long-range thinking, infection curbing efforts, and international coordination and collaboration. Unfortunately, stamping out the virus could take more than a decade- if it is even possible. Eventually, this lethal contagious virus will join the zoo with other viruses and diseases that the world has learned to live with, and the popular examples are Chickenpox, HIV, EBOLA, and SARS. But, for now, the future with the rapidly evolving coronavirus is uncertain.

Band-aid solutions like lockdowns can help curb the spread for some time but in the long run, the following abiding behavioral and policy changes must be taken into consideration:

• Joblessness is at its highest since the Great Recession of 2008; thus, finding and creating livelihood, one that is COVID-resilient, must be one of the foremost priorities in both the government and non-government sectors.
• Educational institutions have been shut for over a year throughout the world. Though the rapid adaptation of online learning has helped the curriculums continue, a completely pandemic-proof education system is yet to be adopted. Thus, in this era of uncertainty, it is critical to implement an educational support structure capable of conducting online classes and exams for everyone. In the absence of a 100% safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for children, the entire education system globally needs a 360-degree online shift.
• With the speculation of the next global economic crash triggered by the global pandemic, this is undoubtedly not a good time to spend money on luxury items but to save for the upcoming recession.
• Functions including sporting events, marriages, birthdays, and other parties must be kept small with fewer invitees, thus decreasing the chance of infections.
• Masks and social distancing must be the norm until officials declare pandemic over.
• Places like theaters, gyms, clubs, bars, hotels, resorts, restaurants, and more should be avoided at any cost.
• The rush to opening economies without tools to measure what’s working and what’s not will be a risky bet to play.

The global pandemic has already cost the world millions of lives, and the irresponsible behavior now will push millions more standing on the verge of infections off the edge. With the endurance of coronavirus, the definition of normalcy has changed to wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

“People keep asking me, ‘What’s the one thing we have to do?’ The one thing we have to do is to understand that there is no one thing. We need a comprehensive strategy, accurately implemented.” It’s high time to accept the fact that no magic bullet can bring the pandemic to an abrupt end, even not the vaccine.

Therefore, in order to stay safe everybody must continue wearing masks and maintaining a minimum of 10 ft social distancing. The failure to strictly abide by the precautionary measures could pave a path for fifth, sixth, seventh, and more COVID waves, each more deadly than the other. Patience for the 100% proven cure for the COVID-19 or complete eradication of the coronavirus from the face of the earth are the only options we have to pin our hope to, for the time being.

About the Author: Hemant Kaushik (Harry)

Mr. Hemant Kaushik (Harry) is CEO and Chairman of one of the world’s leading business consulting companies International Brand Consulting Corporation and globally admired USA TV NEWS Corporation, Berkshire Media, and the World Economic Conference. Currently based in the US, Mr. Kaushik is renowned for his practical business-world & economic knowledge and global market analysis. In the great depression of 2008, his analysis helped many global companies prepare for the financial crisis beforehand and save billions of dollars. Having worked with the most renowned brands and businesses, Mr. Kaushik has written many insightful articles covering varied topics of the global economy.