Dr. Stephanie Silvera Comments: Most Americans Resigned to Living with COVID

The findings of a new Monmouth University poll showed that 70% of Americans accept that COVID-19 is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives. Some of those polled don’t think we will ever get back to normal. Instead, they expect to adapt to life in a new normal — one that means rethinking how we do some activities.

Dr. Stephanie Silvera, Professor in the Public Health Department commented, “We’re going to need to get used to masking — not all the time, certainly not forever — but during the months where it’s more likely to peak. So in the cold winter months where we’re more likely to be indoors, where we know that respiratory illnesses spread quicker and more easily, I think that we might need to get used to wearing masks in those situations.”

Dr. Silvera said people at higher risk will need to accept taking extra precautions more often than those at lower risk.

“If you are somebody who has two or more chronic conditions, for example, or comorbidities, then yes, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re wearing a mask anytime that you’re out in public,” Dr. Silvera said.