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Pfizer officials are reportedly predicting that COVID-19 could become endemic by 2024. According to nature.com, viruses like influenza are already considered endemic, “but a combination of annual vaccines and acquired immunity means that societies tolerate the seasonal deaths and illnesses they bring without requiring lockdowns, masks and social distancing.”
Per CNBC, global president of Pfizer Vaccines Nanette Cocero announced last Friday, “We believe Covid will transition to an endemic state, potentially by 2024.”
“When and how exactly this happens will depend on the evolution of the disease, how effectively society deploys vaccines and treatments, and equitable distribution to places where vaccination rates are low. The emergence of new variants could also impact how the pandemic continues to play out,” Mikael Dolsten, a chief scientific officer for the pharmaceutical company, added.
COVID-19 was classified as a global pandemic in March 2020 after the World Health Organization noticed a rise in cases worldwide. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general for the WHO, shared at the time that the organization was “deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction,” continuing that “we should double down” and “be more aggressive.”
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Last month, the WHO received their first report of the Omicron variant, which has currently made its way to multiple states across the nation, including California, New York, Texas and Florida. According to the CDC, Omicron “likely will spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and how easily Omicron spreads compared to Delta remains unknown.”
Stating that certain regions could reach endemic status sooner than others, Dolsten also reportedly said, “It seems like, over the next year or two, some regions will transition to an endemic model while other regions will continue in pandemic mode.”
What do you think about COVID-19 potentially becoming endemic in a couple of years? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.