Does the release of the COVID-19 vaccine mean this pandemic will finally be over? While the vaccine will slow the spread, and eventually end COVID-19, it won’t be immediate. Even with the vaccine the world as it was before the pandemic will probably not be back till the end of 2021. The vaccine might take a while to go into effect, but it still is what will lead to the eventual end of COVID-19. Cases are still rising, and people can still spread COVID-19 even after receiving the vaccine.

Cases are still rising in Illinois and all over the country. Since COVID-19 has started, Illinois has seen 1.05 million cases and over 19,000 deaths. Illinois has had spikes in COVID throughout the pandemic and is currently getting more cases and not going down. Between January 1 and January 14, cases in Illinois had gone up 32 percent. On January 12, there were a reported 6,591 COVID cases and over 132 deaths. Currently, Illinois has an average of 6,933 cases per day. While Illinois has had a lot of cases, it is just one example of places where cases are getting higher in the United States. Between January 1 and January 14 there was a 34 percent increase in cases in the country. As of January 14, there have been a total of more than 23 million cases in the U.S. and almost 387,000 deaths. The cases in the U.S. are continuing to rise.

Even though cases are rising, the new vaccine offers hope to the world. The new vaccine is currently being administered and soon almost everyone in the country will have the vaccine. So it will take a while for the vaccine to actually be effective. Some hope that the vaccine will contribute to “herd immunity” by the end of the summer. By the end of 2021 social protocols might be lifted. 

The vaccine is being administered in waves. First all healthcare workers are going to be vaccinated, then people with medical conditions, then people 65 and older. After that the vaccine will be administered to the rest of the public. This means that most people will get to receive the vaccine late spring or early summer. There have been 20.54 million vaccinations administered in the U.S. Overall, while the vaccine might take a while, and although cases are still rising, this vaccine will eventually stop this pandemic.