Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s Europe director, says the continent is moving towards an “endgame” scenario, in another sign that Omicron heralds the beginning of the end of the pandemic.
Despite record cases being recorded in multiple different countries, Kluge told AFP that the milder nature of Omicron means COVID-19 could finally be on the path towards becoming endemic.
“It’s plausible that the region is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame,” said Kluge.
“There will be for quite some weeks and months a global immunity, either thanks to the vaccine or because people have immunity due to the infection, and also lowering seasonality,” he added.
The health official predicted that there will now be a sustained period of declining case numbers, or “quiet” as he called it, before, “Covid-19 may come back towards the end of the year, but not necessarily the pandemic coming back.”
Kluge noted that hospitals will now be able to focus on people who have missed urgent health screenings due to lockdown measures.
“Stabilizing means that the health system is no longer overwhelmed due to Covid-19 and can continue with the essential health services, which have unfortunately been really disrupted for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and routine immunization,” he said.
Despite the pandemic being on its way out, technocrats are still attempting to entrench the ‘new normal’ that arrived with the initial response to the virus.
In Scotland, for example, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asserted that mandatory mask rules could remain in place for years.
As we document in the video below, while the pandemic may be coming to an end, the conversation about the devastating and continued impact of lockdown restrictions should definitely not cease.
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