End Of The Pandemic: Are We There Yet?

As the world moves away from basic Covid-19 protocols, some experts say it is too early to declare that the pandemic is over

- Sohini Das

The daily fresh Covid-19 case count has remained below the 5,000 mark in India since September 23. In fact, during the past 24 hours, some 176,357 new Covid-19 cases have been reported across the globe, shows World Health Organization (WHO) data.

So far, the world has cumulatively reported 615 million Covid-19 cases since the pandemic broke out, and 65.24 million deaths, the WHO said. Several countries have started to relax the mandatory mask rules; life is almost back to the pre-Covid-19 "normal".

But, is the end in sight? Experts tend to suggest that the upcoming winter months will play a crucial role before the world can officially announce the "end of the pandemic".

K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India, said, "Though the case count has declined, we should wait till year-end to see if a new variant is emerging with greater immune-escape prowess. If Omicron lineage continues to keep other variants at bay and is seen to cause mild illness only, we can review the recommendation on masks early next year.

By that time, we will also have more data on whether or not Omicron frequently causes Long Covid among those infected by it." Italy scrapped the mask-rule in public transport last week; UAE is scrapping the mask requirement rule after almost two and a half years- the world is moving away from even the most basic Covid-19 precautions as the disease gradually becomes more a flu-like condition. Some experts have, in fact, batted for not mandatorily wearing masks in open spaces.