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How the world continues to adapt!
The world continues to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wait, I just heard the pandemic is over. Right? Well, not so fast there.
There was a great article in the Washington Post called Is the Pandemic Over? The pre-Covid activities that Americans are (and aren’t) resuming. The quote I found quite intriguing was the following:
Nearly two-thirds of Americans now believe there is little or no risk of going back to their pre-pandemic lives, and 46 percent of them say they have already done so — the highest level at any previous survey Axios Ipsos Coronavirus Index survey was recorded in mid-September.
That means a third of Americans still feel there is some risk. That’s a big change from a year ago when we were done with the Delta Rise while the Omnicron Rise was coming up.
The graph below is from the Axios Ipsos Coronavirus Index survey
I think it sums it up pretty well that some or most Americans have returned to their pre-pandemic lives, while others haven’t.
About 1 in 3 still wears a mask outside the home at least sometimes. In addition, about 400 people die every day from COVID-19. The number of deaths per day in the US has already leveled off at the current level in April. 96% of deaths from COVID-19 in 2022 will be people aged 45 or older, which happens to be the demographics of this blog’s readership.
A staggering 88% of Americans say COVID-19 has changed their lives forever.
The world continues to adapt in dealing with COVID-19.
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What have we stopped or are we doing less?
I found the Washington Post article fascinating as it highlighted several activities or industries that have not recovered from the pandemic.
Cremations are now far superior to burials. This is a trend that has been going on for quite some time. A few years ago I worked with a funeral home who wanted to get out of the business. His reason was that he made much less of a cremation than a burial. Since the Great Recession began, cremation has become more acceptable to families due to the lower cost.
We don’t go to funerals either. As you can imagine, the vast majority of those who die are older, and the people who would attend a funeral are likely older.
We don’t go to the cinema either. Aside from being indoors for the most part, I think we’ve gotten used to streaming services. Movie theaters have replaced seats and offered food and alcohol. I lived in Austin Texas for many years, home of the Alamo Drafthouse, which started the trend of offering a brew and a burger many years ago.
Symphony orchestras, Broadway shows, and other arts groups continue to struggle to attract clients. This is broadly because these venues cater to an older crowd.
Nor have we returned to indoor malls or any other type of indoor shopping.
We have not returned for indoor dining either. Pickup and delivery rates have declined but are still well above pre-pandemic rates.
Will these trends continue? I don’t know, but I do know that the world keeps adapting.
What do we do more of?
The personal casino business has exploded this year. Many casinos have been shut down during the pandemic, leading to a lot of online betting. Las Vegas casinos are full. I don’t understand it, but then again I don’t play. When I worked for IBM, we sold computers to several Indian casinos. The better I understood the business, the less likely I was to play.
The wedding business is now in full swing. This is likely due to many weddings being postponed during the pandemic. Boy, are people who attend weddings!
Why do we probably go to weddings but not funerals? Think about who attends each one and I think you can figure that out. Young people go to weddings and old people go to funerals.
We get cosmetic surgeries at record prices. Some suspect we didn’t like how we looked on Zoom. Others say we were able to hide the changes while recovering from surgery because we wore masks in public.
The world keeps adapting.
What have we replaced?
We haven’t returned to the gym, but we do play pickleball, tennis, skateboard and golf. Although organized sports like football, which have hibernated during the pandemic, have not returned, there are fears that adult organized sports will not return to pre-pandemic levels. The only exception was basketball, which was mostly played outdoors and most likely with a small group of friends.
We are returning to doctors’ offices, but not to our therapists’ offices.
Why is that so important?
The pandemic has changed many of us forever, and not always for the better.
I’m writing this post because I want you to evaluate what you stopped doing and why. The pandemic has caused many older people to stop certain activities. When will you return to these activities?
I’ve heard from many people over the past few months who have lost their alertness and contracted COVID-19. They became very ill, but did not have to be hospitalized and, most importantly, did not die.
The world will continue to adapt and you must adapt with it.
What’s your next step?
Markus Mueller
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