But even the delta variant is (hypothetically) beatable (in the sense of allowing us to resume normal lives) if we recognize there is no one magic bullet, and that it will take a multi-layered approach to defeat this thing.
So, what should be do.
Vaccines. Vaccines are still our first line of defense. The more people are vaccinated, the fewer cases there will be. But it is increasingly clear that the delta variant is so contagious that vaccines alone will not stop the pandemic. So what is next?
Restrict Access. People on my side of the aisle are not going to like this, but we are going to have to use testing and/or quarantining of people coming into this country. Yes, granted, that will be difficult to do for a country as large as the US, with as many border crossings. And it is certainly not the entirety of what we should be doing. But it is not a coincidence that the countries that have been most successful in fighting COVID are Taiwan and New Zealand -- both islands.
Good ventilation. COVID is an airborne disease, and good ventilation appears to be one of the keys to preventing spread. Let's get to it.
Testing. We now have rapid testing and even home testing (still have to be sent in to a lab), people who have symptoms or have been exposed can get fast results and not have to wait around. Needless to say, anyone who has symptoms or potential exposure should be tested.
Contact tracing. Alas, I can no longer find the link, but there was a recent outbreak in Massachusetts that was quickly contained, largely because the people exposed and infected did their own contact tracing, by social media, phone calls, e-mails and the like, reaching out to contacts to let them know. What could be more American than that? And it goes to show that the most effective was to manage unmanageably huge amounts of data is to decentralize.
Quarantine. This really can't be a do-it-yourself. People quarantining will need someone to bring food, medical supplies, etc. And a huge obstacle to many people has been the lack of paid sick leave. Somehow we have to assure that people who quarantine receive an income to keep them going. If employers can't afford it and government has to pay, so be it.
Early treatment. When I first heard that Donald Trump had been treated by monoclonal antibodies and made a remarkably rapid recovery, my immediate reaction was that that was all fine and good, but would the treatment scale up to be available to the general public. Well, it would appear that Regeneron monoclonal antibodies are becoming increasingly available in Florida, Texas, and other high-caseload states. Better still, since the main promotors of this treatment appear to be red state governors like Ron DeSantis or Greg Abbott, and Trump himself, we may yet hope that it the MAGA crowd will not be as resistant to this treatment, at least. The bad news is that supplies are still limited. Florida (population 20 million, experiencing 20,000 new cases per day, at least until recently) has only 21 sites offering treatment, each treating about 300 people per day. Treatment is therefore mostly being limited to people who are high risk. And it is not a recognized treatment for advanced stages of the disease, only for early stages to keep the disease from getting worse. But the vaccine was also limited when it first came out and has become more widely available since. Maybe the same will happen for Regeneron.
Masks. These should be used during an active outbreak. Unlike lockdowns, masks can be sustained indefinitely, even if they are uncomfortable and something everyone would rather do without. If we can defeat COVID through vaccines, rapid tests, tracing, quarantines, and early treatment, there will be no need for masks. But if an outbreak is ongoing, masks will be necessary until it quiets down.
This multi-layered approach can work. It has just one flaw. All these approaches require compliance by the general population. With the possible exception of Regeneron, they are meeting with widespread resistance.
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