I am cautiously optimistic. Looking at numbers nationwide and within the state, we are seeing improvement in the daily new cases, hospitalizations, and even deaths (which lag behind the other statistics). Within my own hospital, we have felt a reprieve; we are no longer boarding intensive care patients outside the ICU, and we are resuming elective surgeries (which were held due to limited hospital beds). The ICU itself remains busy, but part of that is related to the long convalescence that COVID-19 patients suffer. Overall, I believe we are through the surge from holiday gatherings. It has been a long three months, and we are grateful for a little breathing room. I also want to believe it marks the worst of the pandemic, and we are on the long journey to recovery. There is a palpable sense of optimism, hope, and relief at work and in daily life.

However, I provide a cautionary thought. Though things are improving, many people are still getting ill and dying. The worst may be over, but it doesn't mean things are good yet. Our absolute numbers are still as high as they were in the fall. Which means that we must remain vigilant. We must act to prevent further surges, especially as variants circulate in the community. We cannot abandon our precautions; that things are getting better only validates that our behavioral interventions work. This pandemic has an unbelievable mass and momentum; we've slowed it down and started to turn it around, but we still need a lot more work and force to get it under control.

Can we do it? I think so. I recently read an article that described the remarkable achievement of the NBA to stage playoffs last fall without any COVID-19 infections. Of course, this bubble required an exorbitant sum of money, but it demonstrated that detailed protocols, adherence, and resources can allow us to resume even close-contact team sports safely. Perhaps with the vaccine, the need for "bubbles" will decline, but there's a lot we can learn from the NBA experience: how to get buy-in from stakeholders, the mental health impact of months-long "bubbling," and the real gains in reducing infections in a high risk environment. I know some schools and workplaces have implemented or are considering protocols to minimize the health impact of resuming business as usual. Many are doing it successfully, with lower test positivity rates than the broader community. We look toward these examples as we reimagine how to structure our businesses, social lives, and communities.