Fewer and fewer people wear face masks in crowded public settings as millions of residents have already been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus — but despite growing optimism about “returning to normal,” experts say caution is still needed.
Aryn O’ Connor, MD, a toxicologist at Banner Health University Medical Center in Phoenix, acknowledged the novel coronavirus pandemic has abated since the peak of the outbreak earlier this year; but despite some battles won, the war against the deadly disease is far from won.
“I don’t think it’s over,” Dr. O’Connor told Daily Independent. “I think, obviously we’re in a much better situation than we were several months ago. And I think here in Arizona, in particular, our R0 — which is that statistic we look at regarding spread — I think it’s below 1, which is always a good sign and indicates our community spread is relatively controlled.”
