Are We Ready for the 'New Normal'? Experts Warn Government Leaders, Heath Officials Against Living Life with COVID-19

Scientists have warned leaders in the United States, as well as health officials against national strategies for a "new normal" of living life with COVID-19.

A SciTechDaily report specified that the strategies are ignoring the early lessons around chronic diseases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The warning argues that discussions of a new normal are failing to incorporate key lessons from the initial two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, which include the vital role of non-communication chronic illnesses in exacerbating COVID-19, and the unnecessary burden of COVID-19 on underserved populations, as well as communities of colors.

Essentially, non-communicable chronic diseases are those that are not spread from one person to another, and persist for at least one year, like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

'Syndemic'

The aforementioned are the leading cause of death globally and illustrate a global health threat that predates the COVID-29 pandemic, the non-communicable disease crisis is killing more than 15 million Americans prematurely every year, as indicated in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The University of Illinois, Chicago's Jun Ma is a co-author of the viewpoint published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

She explained that together, the COVID-19 pandemic and the chronic disease crisis are producing the so-called "syndemic or synergistic endemic," which overlaps epidemics that interact, increasing the disease's burden, as well as the likelihood of poor outcomes.

Recent suggestions for a new normal national strategy in the US are focusing too much on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and very little on the context in which the impact of the disease is most overpowering.

'New Normal'

Ma, the Beth and George Vitoux Professor of Medicine said this is a major missed chance to address the multilevel and multifactorial factors that contribute to the said infection and COVID-19 death, as well as other health conditions.

Ma, also the director of the Vitoux Program on Aging and Prevention at the UIC College of Medicine also added, that what's really needed is an extensive comprehensive syndemic control strategy since in truth, the pre-pandemic state of health in the country was not ideal in the first place.

"This is a major missed opportunity to address the multilevel and multifactorial factors that contribute to severe COVID-19 and COVID-19 mortality, not to mention other health conditions," said Ma, the Beth and George Vitoux Professor of Medicine and director of the Vitoux Program on Aging and Prevention at the UIC College of Medicine.

Ma, also an associate head of research in the Department of Medicine, together with the University of California San Diego's James Sallis, cited data published in the medical literature that shows non-communicable chronic illnesses have developed high susceptibility to severe and deadly COVID-19 results.

Experts Warn About Probable Next Surge

In support of this argument, Ma and her co-author, James Sallis, of the University of California San Diego, cite data published in medical literature showing how non-communicable chronic diseases have created high susceptibility to severe and fatal COVID-19 outcomes and contributed to racial and ethnic injustices.

Even though everyone hopes the pandemic is waning, the COVID-19 strains keep showing up and vaccinations also wane, a similar Digall News report specified.

Therefore, according to experts, there is a need to plan now for better responses to probable next surge, as well as future pandmemics.

Related information about the new normal after the pandemic is shown on Fox 13 Tampa Bay's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on COVID-19 in Science Times.