What COVID-19 Means in 2021— Global Vaccine Developments and Good News for the Future!

To say 2020 was an eventful year would be an understatement. Starting from the tragic death of the legendary Basketball player Kobe Bryant, wildfires in California, the Lebanon explosion, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and of course, a pandemic declaration made by the WHO. Following these catastrophes, we step into the new year with hope for the future, desperate to see things as they were.

From place to place, countries are facing their own issues COVID-wise. Australia and New Zealand are only some of the countries that have managed to contain the virus and kept cases at a low level. Meanwhile, other parts of the globe, for instance, Brazil, Mexico, and Portugal are still struggling to contain the virus.

But, let’s start by discussing one of the main turning points, vaccinations! Some of the biggest pharmaceutical brands like Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sinopharm, Sinovac and Oxford-AstraZeneca have passed Stage 2 and Stage 3 clinical trials. For the past few weeks, we have also seen several countries such as Israel, U.A.E, UK, and the US roll out their vaccinations amongst their citizens.

With all these vaccinations plans coming along, questions arise. So far, one of the most commonly asked questions is: will these shots work on the new COVID strains? In brief, research has shown that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines work effectively for the current COVID mutations.

However, these vaccination plans won’t magically end the global pandemic, but they will help flatten our curve. In doing so, we ought to remember that surpassing this virus is only likely with the presence of masks, washing our hands, and being disciplined in social distancing ourselves.

In another turn of good news, some colleges in the US like the University of California have made discussions and plans to resume in-person classes for Fall 2021. So, it is safe to say that students can now look forward to moving on from looking at Zoom for hours straight to the long-awaited in-person classes!

The virus may not be over, but it has undoubtedly changed our world. Like any other year, obstacles and challenges will come our way. During these times, it is easy for us to get caught up with all the bad things circulating around the world. Don't. Do yourself a favour. You can try reading The Good News Coronavirus and take a daily dose of your good news to remind yourself that there is still positivity around you.

Rest assured, good things will happen this year!