“This fifth wave would be the last”, Health Minister Olivier Véran told the Journal du Dimanche. The politician showed some optimism on the future of the health crisis, speaking of the chance the Omicron variant could be for most of the population.
“Omicron is so contagious it will hit all the populations in the world. It will lead to reinforced immunity: we’ll be all better armed after its spread”, he justifies. Could we be finally able to reach the famous herd immunity scientists have been talking about since the pandemic first broke out? It seems likely, but Olivier Véran yet calls to “continue vaccinating the world as fast as possible, to buy as much time as we can”.
He yet adds the Delta variant remains a threat since despite the number of cases attributed to Omicron, it is not yet gone, and keeps leading to severe cases, even in vaccinees. “As long as the Delta’s spread does not lower, the pressure on hospitalizations and admissions in ICU will stay high”, the Health Minister warns.
When giving his best wishes for the New Year, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of “real reasons to hope 2022 would be the year we exit the epidemic”.
Covid: and what if the Omicron variant was to end the epidemic?
And what if Omicron was able to end the pandemic? This is what suggests virologist Yves Van Laethem, stating its high contagiousness and its weakened virulence might enable not-vaccinated people to be “immunized in a benign fashion”. [Read more]
Covid: and what if the Omicron variant was to end the epidemic?
