To change their approach to the coronavirus pandemic, governments seem to be heading to European countries, trying to “learn to live” with the virus. Experts, however, warn that it is still too early.
In Britain, France, Spain and other European countries, politicians and some public health experts are arguing for a new approach: COVID-19 is becoming part of everyday life. This approach – and the consequent easing of measures – is based on the fact that the latest data show that the clinical picture of COVID-19 with “Omicron” seems to be milder, when, after a continuous record of cases, a stabilization or and slight improvement of the epidemiological picture.
In Spain, for example, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said last week that citizens “should learn to live with it, as we do with many other viruses” and said the country needed to adapt its national approach to better align itself. in the way it handles flu cases. The French Minister of Health, Olivier Veran, recently stated that the high level of infections and the strong vaccination rate in France could “perhaps” mean that this is the last wave of the pandemic.
According to the New York Times in a report, the change in approach is visible, although the World Health Organization warned this week that it is too early to start treating the coronavirus like the flu. Many things concerning COVID-19 remain unknown, the WHO stressed, against the background of the spread of Omicron, but also the low vaccination rates in much of the world.
Proponents of the “learn to live with it” approach, however, point out that the recent rise in cases differs from the early days of the virus, especially given the large number of vaccinated people in the West with lower chances of hospitalization.
“It can not be an emergency forever”
This is reflected in the policies adopted by the British government in recent days, which include – among other things – shorter periods of isolation and the abolition of pre-departure tests for people traveling to England. It is worth noting that 99,652 new cases were reported in the UK on Friday, far fewer than the 178,250 reported the same day a week earlier.
“It can’t be an emergency forever,” Graham Medley, a professor of infectious disease modeling, told BBC Radio 4 this week. He added that the end of the pandemic is likely to come in phases and not at a specific point in time.
In the midst of this change of approach, messages to the public vary, often causing confusion. Amidst messages from politicians about a gradual return to normalcy, many experts are drawing attention to the possibility of new mutations.
Expert warnings
Peter Inglis, a former communicable disease control consultant, said that for many public health professionals and scientists in Britain, the debate has shifted from lockdowns to measures such as mandatory mask use or ventilation conditions, but warned. that attention needs to be paid to the idea that we just have to “learn to live with it”, with no other measures in place.
One of the biggest concerns in England has been the intense pressure the virus puts on the National Health Service (NHS). However, some of the concerns that Britain’s hospitals could be overwhelmed by patients during this latest wave have begun to subside. Now, experts estimate that, unless something changes dramatically, we are close to the peak number of COVID patients in British hospitals.
In Spain, meanwhile, a new monitoring system is being set up that will take effect as soon as the current increase in cases subsides, and the country has also recently eased quarantine rules. However, Madrid’s pressure to treat Omicron more like the flu has been criticized by some doctors and professional associations, as well as by the European Medicines Agency, who point out that the virus is still behaving like a pandemic.
In France, infections are still on the rise, with nearly 300,000 cases of coronavirus per day this week, about six times more than a month ago. However, President Emanuel Macron chose to maintain a few restrictions, urging the French to be vaccinated. Mr Macron’s government has denied allegations that it has “given up” trying to reduce the number of cases, amid teacher strikes over COVID protocols.
Germany, according to the NYT, is several weeks behind some of its European neighbors in tackling the rising infection. The country announced 80,430 new cases on Tuesday, breaking the record set in November. However, independent experts have stopped calling on the government to impose new restrictions. Virologist Christian Drosten said that “we should not open the gate completely, but in some areas, we should open the door to the virus a little.”
Italy, for its part, has tightened restrictions in recent weeks, making vaccines mandatory for those over 50. A spokesman for Italy’s health ministry said the country was “still in a sensitive phase” and that the daily increase in cases was still putting pressure on intensive care units. Italian scientists are converging on the fact that it is too early to declare the virus endemic, even if it is time to “start thinking about the new normality” of coexistence with it, said virologist Fabrizio Pregliasco.
At the same time, health professionals and researchers across Europe appealed this week to The British Medical Journal for better coordination in approaching the pandemic. They argued that there was still an urgent need to reduce infections to protect public life, the economy and health systems.
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