Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives, and many of us are wondering when it will end. In this article, we will explore what experts are saying about when the pandemic might end and what we can do to help. We will look at the latest research and advice from experts in the field, as well as what we can do to protect ourselves and our families. We will also discuss the potential for a vaccine and other treatments that may help us get through this difficult time. By understanding the latest information and taking the necessary precautions, we can all work together to make sure that the pandemic ends as soon as possible.
So When Will Pandemic “End”? Here’s What Experts Say
The coronavirus pandemic has been a source of fear and uncertainty for many people around the world. With the virus continuing to spread, it’s natural to wonder when the pandemic will end. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question, as experts are still trying to understand the virus and its effects.
However, there are some indications that the pandemic may be coming to an end. For example, the number of new cases in many countries has been declining, and some countries have even begun to relax their restrictions. In addition, the development of vaccines has been encouraging, and many countries are now in the process of rolling out their vaccination programs.
Despite these positive signs, experts caution that the pandemic is far from over. They warn that the virus could still spread rapidly if people become complacent or if new variants emerge. In addition, the economic and social impacts of the pandemic are still being felt, and it could take years for the world to fully recover.
Ultimately, the end of the pandemic will depend on a variety of factors, including the effectiveness of vaccines, the ability of countries to contain the virus, and the willingness of people to follow public health guidelines. Until then, it’s important to remain vigilant and continue to take precautions to protect yourself and others.
As the COVID-19 curve winds downward and dozens of states relax their restrictions, many of us are asking the same question: When will the pandemic be over? It’s a matter many of us thought was answered last summer, after the widespread availability of vaccines (and before the rise of the super-contagious Omicron variant). But as the Omicron wave has begun to recede in the last few weeks, several public-health experts were asked that question, and their answers may surprise you. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
The head of the World Health Organization said the pandemic could officially move to a less urgent phase this summer—if enough of the world gets vaccinated. “Our expectation is that the acute phase of this pandemic will end this year, of course with one condition: the 70 percent vaccination [target is achieved] by mid this year around June, July,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last Friday. But Al-Jazeera notes that much of the world is moving on regardless of that metric: Even as wealthy areas of the U.S. are transitioning into considering COVID an endemic illness, so are poorer areas of the globe like Africa, where only 11 percent of the population is vaccinated.
“It’s difficult to know exactly how the pandemic will ‘end’” but I think there’s at least a reasonable chance that COVID-19 ends up being less of a public health concern than the flu,” David Dowdy, associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said this week. “Even now, for someone who is vaccinated and boosted, the risk of hospitalization is higher if they were to get the flu than if they were to get COVID-19. I think it’s too early to say whether COVID-19 waves will happen every winter, more frequently, or less frequently. But to my mind, if COVID-19 is not causing more people to get seriously ill than another “non-pandemic” infectious disease (seasonal flu, for example), it makes sense to declare the COVID-19 pandemic over.”
“We’re really in a situation where vaccination has laid the groundwork for strong immune responses,” said Andrew Pekosz, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health this week. “And now, even if you do get infected, the end result is a milder disease and a stronger immune response to protect you from the next variant. More immunity in the population will limit disease and eventually reduce virus infections as well. SARS-CoV-2 eventually will put itself in a pigeonhole where it won’t have much ability to change drastically and get around immune responses, and that will be the time when we can really start talking about this as something more like seasonal flu, as opposed to the pandemic virus that it is still to this day.”
RELATED: Warning Signs You Have Colon Cancer Now
“There are so many variables here that are unknown,” said Catherine Troisi, associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, in Foreign Affairs this week. “On the part of the virus, are we going to see more variants (probably), and if so, will they cause more severe disease and/or be more transmissible and/or would current vaccines not protect us? In terms of human behavior, are we just going to decide the pandemic is over regardless of disease level? Pandemics end in one of two ways—the virus disappears or society decides to live with it. I think we’re headed toward the latter.”
RELATED: 5 Health Mistakes That Cause “Puffy Skin”
“By March 2022, a large proportion of the world will have been infected with the omicron variant,” wrote Christopher J.L. Murray, MD, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, in The Lancet on Jan. 29. “With continued increases in COVID-19 vaccination, the use in many countries of a third vaccine dose, and high levels of infection-acquired immunity, for some time global levels of SARS-CoV-2 immunity should be at an all time high. For some weeks or months, the world should expect low levels of virus transmission. COVID-19 will become another recurrent disease that health systems and societies will have to manage … The era of extraordinary measures by government and societies to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission will be over. After the Omicron wave, COVID-19 will return, but the pandemic will not.”
RELATED: The #1 Habit That Leads to a Bad Back, Say Physicians
Follow the fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.