For months, Dr. Kenneth Hughes, Los Angeles plastic surgeon, and other doctors have tried to educate and spread the message about the most effective ways to keep our loved ones safe and healthy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.  However, several obstacles confront our overall return to a world where Covid-19 related illness can be minimal.  The lock-downs, social distancing, and mask and personal protective wear have certainly slowed the course of the disease in the United States and in California in particular with its huge population and few cases.  However, in recent weeks the United States has seen a nonobservance of social distancing restrictions and mask wear despite public health officials begging for their continued use.

The influx of covid-19 patients from other countries, particularly those from Mexico, have resulted in new hot spots in southern California.  In addition, government officials have begun to ease the lock-down restrictions, which is likely imperative for the economy to be not subsumed and crushed with record unemployment and the demise of small businesses countrywide.  With the recent weeks of protests and demonstrations, large crowds of thousands of people and more have resulted in a near perfect scenario for the reemergence of the coronavirus pandemic.  The United States, or portions of the United States, may well experience a massive second wave of Covid-19 cases.  The virulence of the prominent viral strains in the community will determine the severity of this second wave as the virus has already begun its incubation period.  The collective healthcare community and the United States in general will have to hold their breaths and pray that the coming weeks spare us from the Covid-19 reemergence.

Continue to stay safe and follow the healthcare directives in Los Angeles, California, and the United States.