For the past few weeks, several scientists, epidemiologists and even virologists have been optimistic as for the rest and the end of the health crisis.
Covid: here is why the Omicron variant leaves us to expect the end of the pandemic
Despite the record-breaking number of Covid-19 contaminations in France, some people are hoping to exit the health crisis, the end of the pandemic, and the return to normal life in the coming months. The reason behind? The Omicron variant considered at this point more contagious but less dangerous. Here is more on the matter. [Read more]
The French government also wishes to believe in it. “We have reasons to be optimistic”, Gabriel Attal told CNews this past Tuesday. “We see the Delta wave has decreased a lot, we see the spread tends to slow down, and in regions where the Omicron wave started first, especially in Île-de-France, it seems to be the beginning of a decrease in level”, he explained yesterday morning while France reported on Tuesday a new contamination record with 464,769 cases reported in 24 hours, against 102,144 the day before – according to data released by Santé Publique France.
As for the World Health Organization, they would rather stay cautious. “This pandemic is nowhere near over. […] With the incredible growth of Omicron globally, new variants are likely to emerge”, WHO General Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press brief this January 18.
Already in early January, WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood explained: “The more Omicron spreads, the more it transmits and the more it replicates, the more likely it is to throw out a new variant”.
As some specialists are hoping to exit the crisis thanks to Omicron, WHO tries to stay more cautious. “The more Omicron spreads, the more it transmits and the more it replicates, the more likely it is to throw out a new variant," WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood said. [Read more]
WHO Director General also wished to remind the impact of the Omicron variant on healthcare systems: “Make no mistake, Omicron is causing hospitalizations and deaths, and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities”, he said before adding: “Omicron may be less severe, on average of course, but the narrative that it is mild disease is misleading, hurts the overall response and costs more lives”.
Covid: here is why the Omicron variant leaves us to expect the end of the pandemic
Covid: Omicron’s spread increases the risk of more dangerous variants emerging, according to WHO
