Healthcare workers wearing protective gear are preparing to attend patients at the Portimao Arena Sports Pavilion, which was converted on 9 February 2021 into a field hospital for Covid-19 patients in Portimao, in the Algarve region. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP via Getty Images)
PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON – A growing chorus of doctors and public health officials have warned that the disease could become endemic even with the massive deployment of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines.
Anthony Fauci, Counselor of the Coronavirus in the White House, Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, and the Executive Director of the World Health Organization, dr. Mike Ryan, said last week that the coronavirus will never go away.
To date, more than 107 million people worldwide have contracted Covid-19, with 2.36 million deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
David Heymann, professor of infectious epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, warned that the virus was apparently on its way to becoming endemic late last year. He confirmed his position earlier this week during a webinar for the think tank Chatham House.
“I think if you talk to most epidemiologists and most public health professionals today, they will say that they believe this disease will become endemic, at least in the short term and probably in the long term,” he said.
Heymann is the chair of the WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Diseases and led the Health Agency’s Infectious Diseases Unit during the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic.
We need to learn lessons from 2020 and act quickly. Every day counts.
Dr. Jeremy Farrar
Director of Wellcome
He warned that it is not yet possible to be sure of the virus’ destination, as its outcome depends on many unknown factors.
“Right now, the emphasis is on saving lives, as it should be, and making sure hospitals are not overloaded with Covid patients – and it will be possible to move forward,” Heymann said, referring to after the massive deployment of Covid vaccines.
‘Must learn lessons from 2020’
The mass delivery of Covid vaccines began almost two months ago in many high-income countries and has since begun to move rapidly, but the mass immunization of populations will take time.
To be sure, some low-income countries do not yet need to receive a single dose of vaccine to protect people at greatest risk from the coronavirus.
A doctor takes notes during a training session presented by Chinese doctors and medical experts through a teleconference in Maputo, Mozambique, on May 21, 2020. Chinese obstetricians and pediatricians share their experience with Mozambican doctors on the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 during pregnancies. women and children through a teleconference at Maputo Central Hospital.
Nie Zuguo | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
According to a report published last month by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the majority of the adult population of advanced economies would be vaccinated by the middle of next year. In contrast, this timeline extends to early 2023 for many middle-income countries and even until 2024 for some low-income countries.
It highlights the extent of the challenge of bringing the pandemic under control around the world.
“Covid-19 is an endemic human infection. The scientific reality is that, with so many people infected worldwide, the virus will continue to mutate,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome and a member of the UK, Scientific said. Emergency Advisory Group (Sage).
“Living with this virus, however, does not mean we can not control it. We must learn lessons from 2020 and act quickly. Every day counts,” he added.
Balance our existence with endemic diseases
“I think it’s good to put it in context and think about the other infectious diseases that are endemic today,” Heymann said during an online event on Wednesday when asked if policymakers should be wary of others. endemic diseases in response to the Covid pandemic. .
He mentioned tuberculosis and HIV, as well as four endemic coronaviruses that are known to cause colds.
“We have learned to live with all these infections, we have learned how to do our own risk assessments. We have vaccines for some, we have medicines for others, we have diagnostic tests that can help us all work better. to live with these infections. ‘
‘There are some unknowns that make it very difficult for political leaders and public health leaders to make decisions about what the best strategies would be, which causes us to not fully understand the’ long Covid ‘and its impact or consequences. Not. incidence after even very minor infections, ”he continued.
“So it’s not an issue that it’s a special disease. It’s one of the many things we have to balance our way of life with and understand how to deal with it like we do with flu, as with other infections. , “said Heymann. said.
A nurse (R) looks at the coronavirus ward at Sakura General Hospital on 10 February 2021 in Oguchi, Japan with the director of the hospital, Dr. Yutaka Kobayashi. The hospital, like many others in Japan, has seen a steady stream of Covid-19 coronavirus patients over the past year as the country grapples with the ongoing viral pandemic.
Carl Hof | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The term “long covid” refers to patients who suffer from long-term illnesses after initially contracting the virus, with symptoms such as shortness of breath, migraines and chronic fatigue.
The public conversation about the pandemic has largely focused on those with a serious or fatal illness, while ongoing medical problems due to the virus are often underestimated or misunderstood.
Last month, the largest global study of the long-lived Covid so far found that many of those suffering from the persistent disease after being infected with the virus were unable to return to full-capacity work six months later.