HELLO, POST-PANDEMIC NEW NORMAL

Getting vaccinated may not get us to COVID-zero, but it will help us start to live more normal lives. Here’s what that might look like.

Is that a glimmer of light at the end of the pandemic tunnel? Yes, experts say, but not so fast. While we’re all hoping to venture out soon, we’re nowhere near herd immunity. That’s achieved when a large part of the population is vaccinated and immune to COVID-19, says Frank Esper, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic. “When enough people are immune, the virus has nowhere else to go,” he says.

Until then, your best bet is to stick with the healthy habits that got you this far: wearing a mask in public even if you’re vaccinated, washing hands regularly and keeping activities in closed-in spaces or with large groups of people to a minimum. Joseph Khabbaza, M.D., pulmonary and critical care specialist at Cleveland Clinic, hopes people also will remember what they learned this year about how obesity and/or a weak immune system raise the risks of serious illness, especially during a pandemic. “In the new normal, it’s important to manage your weight and boost your immune system with healthy foods and exercise,” he says. Here are more “new normal” trends.

MASKS AREN’T GOING AWAY Yes, face masks helped stop the spread of COVID, but it also is no coincidence that the CDC reports this year’s flu activity to be at historic lows. “There’s very little flu an` other respiratory viral infections since masking an` `istancing have been the norm,” says Khabbaza. In fact, `eaths from the flu this year, rather than being in the thousan`s as in previous years, hover aroun` the hun`re`s. That’s why what seeme` to be a short-term regulatory intervention coul` be our new normal when we’re in crow`s or when flu or allergy seasons hit again, especially now that masks combine function an` fashion.

CLEANING IS COOL COVID

has ma`e us acutely aware of hygiene—whether it’s the

cleanliness of our hands or of

high-touch items like our mobile phones. Now that we’ve a`juste` to frequent han`washing, it’s tough to imagine ever aban`oning the habit. It’s still one of the best ways to stop the sprea` of bacteria an` viruses. An` shaking han`s? Maybe you shoul` practice that elbow bump. Infectious `isease expert Anthony Fauci, M.D., says that shaking han`s

should be a thing of the past (but

han`washing is forever).

THE NEW WORKSPACE Now that more companies support a WFH (work-from-home)

and remote culture—and most

professionals have foun` ways to make it work without a loss of pro`uctivity—the number of people working at home are sure

to increase, according to Harvard Business Review. Employees enjoy less commuting time an` costs an` more time with family, while employers save money on space, heating an` cooling. Hybri` setups will be more common, as workers an` employers figure out which tasks are best `one in person an` what amount

of face time helps teams feel

connecte` an` mentally healthy.

VIRTUAL HEALTH CARE With

many offices close` an` people hesitant to venture out, “provi`ers ha` to pivot an` patients quickly acclimate` to telehealth,” says Howar` Forman, M.D., a practicing physician an` professor of management and public

health at Yale University. With growing acceptance an` improve` reimbursement policies, telehealth will continue well past the pan`emic, Forman pre`icts.

LINGERING STRESS Unemployment, financial har`ships, illness an` loss: The experience of living through this pandemic has been

traumatizing for almost everyone, says Anita Kanti, author of Behaving Bravely: How to Mindshift Life’s Challenges. More than 1 in 3 a`ults in the U.-. have anxiety or `epression—up from 1 in 10 the previous year. An` a stu`y in JAMA Psychiatry reported

about 30 percent of recovere` COVID patients `evelope` post-traumatic stress `isor`er, suffering flashbacks, nightmares an` `isturbing thoughts.

These unprecedented mental health challenges are likely to

exten` well into post-pan`emic life, says Donal` Malone Jr., M.D., chair of the Department

of Psychiatry and Psychology and director of the Center for

Behavioral Health at Clevelan` Clinic. That makes it extra impor

tant to make your mental health

a priority an` check in with a professional if you’re suffering. As with physical health, some

mental health checkups and therapy sessions can be done

remotely. If you or someone you know is suffering a mental health

emergency, contact your doctor,

911 or the National -uici`e Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255); or text the Crisis Text Line (text CONNECT to 741741).

AT-HOME FITNESS With many gyms an` fitness clubs shuttere`, people took their workouts home, atten`ing virtual classes, equipping their own gyms or taking it outsi`e where nature provi`e` an a``e` health boost. A survey by fitness company Beachbo`y foun` that even when gyms begin to reopen, many Americans will stick to their at-home workouts, or perhaps some will make it more of a hybri` activity (similar to employees who split their time between home an` the office).

Visit Parade.com/telehealth to fin` out exactly how virtual `octor visits work.