World Health brakes! Omicron is not ‘endemic’ anytime soon.
Date 12 Jan 2022 at 4:50 p.m.
The World Health Organization warns against treating coronavirus as an endemic disease like the flu.
Archyde.com reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Jan. 11 it was too early to look at how COVID-19 was. It is endemic like the flu. while covid-19 The Omicron strain is spreading rapidly. As a result, the number of infected people increased in number and became the dominant strain in many areas.
Why is it not endemic?
• Katherine Smallwood, WHO Senior Regional Officer for Europe, said: “Local disease” That requires stable and predictable transmission. But now the epidemic of COVID-19 full of uncertainty The virus continues to develop rapidly. It always brings new challenges, so we are definitely not in the so-called endemic area.
• added that Ultimately, COVID-19 It may become endemic as many have predicted, but will it happen this year or not, it’s quite difficult in this situation.
• Hans Cluj, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said Europe recorded more than 7 million new cases in the first week of 2022 and more than doubled in the second period. week
• Experts estimate that over half of the population in Europe will be infected with omikron in the next 6 to 8 weeks.
although the rate of serious illness is less
• On the other hand, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez remarked on Jan. 10, suggesting the European community discuss changing the definition of COVID-19 from “pandemic” (pandemic) come to be “endemic” (endemic) because it was found that the mortality rate was reduced
• As of today (Jan. 12), Dr. Sumani Watcharasin, Director of the Office of Risk Communication and Behavioral Development, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health saidThis wave of outbreaks in Thailand has less severe symptoms than the April wave. Last year, the proportion of severe cases was 1 per 1,000, which is a characteristic of endemic disease. giving hope that by this year, COVID-19 will become endemic
• Earlier, the World Health Organization said it had found more evidence that COVID-19 Omicron strains affect the upper respiratory tract. than the infection in the lungs This causes less severe symptoms than the previous species, Delta. and found that the rate of hospitalization and death from omikron was still low.
• However, the World Health Organization emphasizes not to be complacent. As there is still a need for further studies to prove it.
Photo: Bangkok Post
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