How Life May Look in 2021

 Most of us were happy to say goodbye to 2020, and we all look forward to a better, brighter 2021.  We long to get back to spending time in the company of our loved ones, and while we realize life may be a somewhat “new normal,” we are ready for a more positive future.     

A recent article on AARP’s website asks medical professionals to weigh in on the changes we can expect in the coming year along with some of the things that may not change.  One of the first points that experts agreed on is that we will have better treatments available for COVID-19.  Along with remdesiver, which has already been approved by the FDA, there are several other antivirals being tested to determine if they are even more effective.  

Another line of treatment includes monoclonal antibodies, which imitate the body's immune response to a disease.   While currently in short supply and only approved for emergency use, doctors hope if they prove effective they will be available to the general public.  Edith Parker, dean of the University of Iowa College of Public Health, believes they may be groundbreaking in terms of treating COVID.  She adds that the development of monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 “may be one of the positive things that have come out of the pandemic.”    

Other positive signs include administering treatments more effectively.  For instance, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, M.D., a professor of medicine and an infectious disease specialist with UT Health in Houston, says there may come a time in the near future when a patient is confirmed to have COVID, they will receive a prescription that can be taken at home.

Other hopeful advances are enhanced testing including at-home test kits that will provide results within a few minutes.  Also doctors are learning more and more about how best to treat patients.  Lastly experts say vaccines should be widely distributed by mid-year.  Health professionals caution that what will remain the same is the fact that we will need to still wear masks, wash our hands, and yes, for a while at least, practice social distancing.

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Source:  

aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/coronavirus-2021.html