ABC News: Why Some Americans Haven’t Gotten COVID Yet and Why It’s Not Inevitable They Ever Will
ABC News recently interviewed Jonathan D. Grein, MD, director of Hospital Epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai, about why some Americans haven’t gotten COVID-19 and what could have helped prevent them from getting the virus that causes it.
During the omicron wave, models estimated that 50% to 75% of Americans had tested positive for omicron. Given how easy omicron spread, public health experts predicted that every American who had not yet gotten COVID-19 would eventually get it. However, this may not be the case.
Grein told ABC News the fact that we are two years into the pandemic and a substantial number of people have not been infected is good evidence that it’s not inevitable everyone will get it. "One thing we’ve clearly identified is that being vaccinated is the most important variable in deciding how protected somebody may be," he said.
According to Grein, there are social and environmental reasons that may explain why some Americans have been infected and others haven’t, including how much time people spend with others and where they interact.
"Some people may come into more contact with people more regularly than others. There’s probably environmental reasons as well, the virus is probably transmitted more efficiently in certain circumstances like classically the indoor, poorly-ventilated space compared to outside," Grein told ABC News.
Other factors include people taking the proper precautions, such as social distancing and masking. Others could simply be homebound or minimize their interaction with others. In addition, being vaccinated and boosted plays a significant role in preventing COVID-19.
Click here to read the complete article from ABC News.