New Jersey officials estimate that COVID-19 vaccinations will be available to the general public by the spring, just about exactly a year since the coronavirus threw everyone s lives into upheaval.
For those who have survived either the virus itself or its many socioeconomic impacts, the Third Eye Blind song Losing A Whole Year may seem apropos.
But the mark COVID-19 has left mentally and emotionally goes deeper than that, and could last well into 2021 and perhaps beyond.
Dr. Rachel Strohl, senior psychologist with Stress & Anxiety Services of NJ, said people have been steeling themselves to expect the unexpected for 10 months, going from the anxiety and uncertainty of the initial outbreak to the relative freedom of the summer, to renewed isolation and the spectre of winter shutdowns even as vaccines provide a shot of hope.