NEW ORLEANS — The United States continues to make progress through the pandemic.
Statewide, cases are lower now than they were before the fourth surge, which began around July 1. Could an end be near?
Here in Louisiana, we're finally making some headway in the pandemic.
"Cases are quite low at the moment and we're thankful, but we paid a hard price to get here," State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter said.
Mask mandates were lifted, vaccine eligibility has expanded, and life is looking more like it did pre-COVID.
"We have made substantial progress and it's very encouraging to me that over 2/3 of adults in Louisiana have gotten at least one shot," Kanter said.
It's all good news, but health experts say it's too soon to declare victory.
"Unfortunately we don't get to decide when the virus is done," said Lucio Miele MD, PhD. with LSU Health. "The virus decides when it's done. What we can do is make it harder and harder for the virus to spread."
Dr. Miele says overseas, cases are skyrocketing. With the holidays coming and people letting their guard down we could backtrack.
"Germany, the Netherlands, the UK all have record high levels of new infections, despite having rates of vaccination that are significantly higher in the US," Dr. Miele said. "We still have enough susceptible individuals there could easily be another spike if we stop paying attention to it."
Dr. Kanter says Louisiana has made progress, however, the pandemic is not over.
"What we should hope for, and what I think is coming soon, is moving from a pandemic to an endemic," he said. "A pandemic is disruptive, the loss of life, that's what we've been living under the past 18-19 months. An endemic is something like the flu, something that's around but you deal with."
The key to success they say are vaccinations.
"So get your booster if eligible," Dr. Miele said. "Get vaccinated if eligible and wait before declaring victory. It's not over until it's over."
The bottom line is we're in a good spot, but experts say it's crucial we not get ahead of ourselves, because what happens next depends on what we choose to do today.