Is Omicron the beginning of the end of the pandemic?

Early research indicates that the Omicron variant is highly contagious but causes a milder illness than previous Covid variants.

This has given rise to speculation that this variant might mark the beginning of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

KvF asked epidemiologist Shahin Gaïni to share his views on this.

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“Our main overall objective during this pandemic has been to buy time with vaccines and safety precautions so we can all gradually adapt to this virus,” he explains.

“If Omicron is as relatively mild as early data suggests, then this variant could contribute to our global vaccination process, potentially evolving into a more or less regular flu virus.”

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Gaïni is, however, keen to add that more research data is needed before any conclusions can be drawn on this matter.

“If we knew anything for certain at this point, we wouldn’t be seeing the restrictions that are currently being put in place internationally and here in the Faroes,” he says.

“But by the end of this month or early next month, we will know a lot more about the severity of this new variant.”

For further information about Covid-19 in the Faroes, including daily figures, visit corona.fo.

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.