As more people across the country become vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC released guidelines March 8 allowing for fully vaccinated people to gather together without masks. But pulling off the mask and adjusting to life before the pandemic will come with a learning curve, according to experts.

Dr. Aderonke Pederson, an instructor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said the one year anniversary of the pandemic has become a landmark for people who have adjusted to a new normal.

“If we were talking one week or two weeks of a change in routine, then reverting back to a semblance of normalcy would be a different point. But we’re talking about a year of change and adjusting, a year of loss on many levels,” she said.

Hesitation among those who are fully vaccinated stems from learned behaviors as well as trauma associated with those who have been affected by the virus.

Read More →