Europe : Is the end of Pandemic nearing?
“It’s plausible that the region is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame,” Hans Kluge said in an interview, adding that Omicron could infect 60 percent of Europeans by March. Once the current surge of Omicron sweeping across Europe subsides, “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 says getting the situation in Europe into a more stable position remains the priority. There is currently a huge disparity in vaccination rates, which range from 25% to 95% across countries. This is putting significant pressure on healthcare systems and hospitals. According to a report, he wouldn’t confirm if a fourth vaccine dose could end the pandemic.
The Omicron variant, which studies have shown generally leads to less severe infection among vaccinated people than Delta, has raised long-awaited hopes that Covid19 is starting to shift from a pandemic to a more manageable endemic illness like seasonal flu.
