This moment inthe pandemicfeels familiar.
Omicrons rise was explosive, causing the largest surge of U.S. cases in the pandemic to date.
Some are even suggestingthis should be celebratedand thatPresident Biden should make a declarationthat the pandemic is over.
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Many areas that reinstated mask mandates arelifting them nowand reducing other restrictions.
Is this really the case though?
Are we even close to done with the pandemic?
Below, I spoke with other experts to find out.
Omicron might not be completely over.
BA.2 has been identified in the U.S. and is beingtracked by the CDC.
As of early March 2022,BA.2 is less than 10% of all new casesin the U.S. That clearly is a big if.
Many people remain at high risk of serious infection from COVID-19.
Childrenunder the age of 5 still have no vaccine options when it comes to protection from COVID-19.
But this takes time, planning, and funding.
Of vaccinated adults, uptake also varies by age group and location.
They live generally in very wealthy communities, theyre disproportionately white, says Dr. Tomori.
The virus just isnt endemic yetand were not sure what will happen when it is.
Especially with the rapidspread of omicron?
Maybe not so fast on that one either.
It has both a mathematical definition and a more colloquial one.
And omicron is not likely to be the last variant we see, regardless of how many it infects.
But even mild omicron swamped our hospitals.
That is the worst-case hypothetical, says Dr. Murray.
Where do we go from here?
Theres no national goal, she says.
Its just this sort of lurching from crisis to crisis.
And without a goal, we cant make plans.
People cant make their feelings about that goal heard.
Both of those are not good goals.
All these suggestions, she notes, are literally in textbooks, yet were still not there.
Instead we have focused on individual responsibility rather than the collective.
But then we also want to bring them back when things start to be bad.
Despite local differences in policy or case numbers,were still in this together.
