All over the world, people are hoping for an end to the corona pandemic. But how realistic is that? Will Corona really end in spring 2022?
That this virus finally no longer plays a role in everyday life – a nice idea. But science warns against pretending that Corona will be completely over in a few months at the latest.
The claim: Corona will be over in spring 2022.
The review: problematic generalization.
The facts: The assessment that the pandemic will be over in spring reveals “a very German-centered view,” says epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb from the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology. Internationally, vaccination rates are still very low in some cases. In almost all African countries, for example, the proportion of those who are fully vaccinated is well below ten percent, as the vaccination dashboard from Johns Hopkins University shows.
The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore warns that new variants of Sars-CoV-2 can develop in these populations in particular – which in turn could also be dangerous for vaccinated people and genesis worldwide. “Inequality in vaccination is the biggest hurdle in the world preventing an end to the pandemic and a recovery from Covid-19,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently.
Experts basically agree: Coronavirus will remain in the long term
Even for Germany, epidemiologist Zeeb is skeptical of the assumption that restrictions will no longer be needed from next spring: “We will then probably still have a few million people who are not protected and thousands of whom can still become really sick.” Assuming that Corona will no longer play a role in six months is not expedient.
In addition, the head of virology at the Berlin Charité, Christian Drosten, summed up the situation on Thursday on “Deutschlandfunk” as follows: “We will of course have epidemiological after-effects of the pandemic for years to come.”
In principle, experts worldwide agree that the virus will remain long-term and become endemic. This means that, like influenza viruses, it circulates in the population and causes seasonal outbreaks. The researchers hope that the course will not be too serious for most people, since they have basic immunity to the virus from previous infections or vaccinations.
