White House Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci appeared on Monday skeptical about whether the Omicron mutation really marks the end of the coronavirus pandemic. As he said, it is still too early to predict whether the Omicron mutation will be the last wave of the pandemic. “It’s an open issue,” Fauci told an online conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Omicron mutation, although highly contagious, appears to be less severe, raising hopes that it could hasten the end of the pandemic. However, Fauci said there was still no guarantee. “It simply came to our notice then. “But this will only happen if there is no other mutation that escapes the immune response of the previous variant,” he explained.
He noted that even if Omicron proves to be the final variant of Covid-19, this is unlikely to mean the end of the virus. Instead, it will remain present in society at an endemic level. “We will talk about endemicity when the coronavirus circulates among us without disturbing society,” he said.
“Control (of the virus) means that it is present, but it is present at a level that does not disturb society. That’s my definition of what endemicity means, “he said.
At that stage, public health measures such as mask use would no longer be required, and society could return to some level of normalcy, he said. “It’s not that you will eradicate this virus completely. “But we hope it will be at such a low level that it will not disrupt our social, economic and other activities,” he said.
“Too early to characterize Covid as endemic”
Fauci in a discussion with a group of public health experts agreed that Omicron is likely to become the dominant Covid-19 executive worldwide in 2022. However, they were divided over whether he would be the final executive.
“It’s really too early to characterize the coronavirus as endemic. “There is a good chance we will have a new variant,” said Annelis Wilder Smith, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. A new variant is likely to be less serious considering the previous mutations, but it remains important to prepare for the worst, he said.
However, Richard Hutchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Readiness and Innovation, was more optimistic. “Omicron will sweep the world. “Hopefully it will scan the other variants,” he said, adding that the virus is likely to reach a point of equilibrium, where it will become like the seasonal flu.
cnbc.com
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