NEXT AVENUE - SPECIAL SECTION
9 Things We Learned During COVID-19 That Will Endure By Sheryl Kraft
2. Our Personal Approach to Wellness The pandemic has inspired many people to take a more active role in their health. In its recent trend report, the marketing communications agency Wunderman Thompson notes that companies are recognizing a rising need for technology that allows us to track our health status in our homes — like blood pressure monitors, sleep sensor patches and devices that measure lung function and respiratory rates. 3. Telehealth The urgent need to practice social distancing combined with fear of seeking medical care has sped up the adoption of telehealth by many patients and practitioners. During the first quarter of last year, as the pandemic was starting, telehealth visits increased by 50% compared to the same period the previous year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As patients grow more comfortable with the technology and regulations evolve to make it easier for providers to get reimbursed, widespread use of telehealth may stick after the pandemic is over.
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages, it's hard to envision an end in sight. But with vaccines moving forward and new treatments emerging, there will be a day when we can get back out into the world and resume our lives. What will those post-pandemic lives look like? A majority of U.S. adults (86%) polled by Pew Research Center say there is some kind of “lesson or set of lessons” to be taken from the pandemic, like the importance of wearing a mask to protect others, the value of spending time with family and loved ones or the need for universal health care. Here are 9 pandemic changes that might just become part of our future survival guide: 1. Mask Wearing When rules that require mask wearing are eventually lifted, it's possible the habit may become permanent, at least when people are indoors in crowded spaces like bars, restaurants and arenas. In a recent white paper, the professional consulting services firm Deloitte reports "A short- term regulatory intervention, like compulsory face masks, can trigger a settling-in period which influences the 'new normal.'"
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