The United States' top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, stated on Wednesday that it is still too early to predict whether the rapid spread of the new Corona virus variant, Omicron, will help transition the virus into a manageable endemic disease. CNN reported that Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, mentioned during a discussion at the Davos Forum, a virtual event held by the World Economic Forum this week, that "Omicron could represent the end of the COVID-19 pandemic phase, but this will only happen if another variant capable of evading the immune response generated against the previous variant does not emerge."
He added, "Fortunately, Omicron does not share many characteristics with the Delta variant, despite the vast number of people contracting it." Fauci further stated that we cannot yet be certain that Omicron will serve as a lifelong vaccine against the virus, as "we are not sure about the potential emergence of new variants later on."
He emphasized the importance of focusing on a comprehensive approach to combating the pandemic rather than addressing each new variant individually, stating, "Research efforts should focus on vaccines that can provide broad protection against all variants. We do not want to start new efforts every time a new variant appears."
Days ago, some scientists cautioned that the Omicron variant may not be the last, anticipating the emergence of more concerning variants thereafter. Scientists told the Associated Press (AP) that each COVID-19 infection presents an opportunity for the virus to mutate, and since Omicron is more transmissible than previous variants and more resistant to vaccines, this means the chances for new variants to emerge could be very high.
Scientists do not know what the next variants will look like, but they assert that there is no evidence that these variants will cause mild symptoms or that current vaccines will be effective against them. To limit the emergence of variants, scientists stress the importance of continuing to take virus prevention measures such as wearing masks and getting vaccinated.
