Strategy of Europe to embrace the virus on the verge of failure with an increase in daily cases
When the coronavirus hit the world with a sudden and deadly strike in 2020, Europe was one of the continents to see the maximum deaths among its population. For nations within the European continent with its vast lands but fewer homes in between, deaths from Covid-19 had a significant impact.
As the threat from the virus diminished considerably with the advent of vaccines and restrictions in place, the world regained its feet and moved forward. Throughout these two years, there was the emergence of many new strains of the virus. When the next wave from a new variant, Omicron, began, the world again braced for results as drastic as the previous ones.
But the new variant, although rapidly spreading, did not prove to be that deadly. After a tumultuous journey through this pandemic, Spain became the first country to “live with the virus”.
The New Game Plan of Europe
Being one of the countries to incur the worst economic drawbacks due to the pandemic and one with the highest vaccination rates, Spain declared to face the next onslaught of the virus with open arms. Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, said on Monday, “What we are saying is that in the next few months and years, we are going to have to think, without hesitancy and according to what science tells us, how to manage the pandemic with different parameters.”
Dr Salvador Tranche, head of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine, remarked that “vaccine acquired immunity, coupled with widespread infection, offers a chance to concentrate prevention efforts, testing and illness-tracking resources on moderate to high-risk groups.”
He said if physicians and health professionals started to treat Covid infection as any other illness, chances of delay or problems in diagnosis and treatment would reduce. He also noted that some deaths are “inevitable” where this virus is concerned, and people need to accept that. The Spanish media has dubbed this new game plan as “flu-ization”.
Sanchez also urged the other European nations to start considering the shift of this pandemic into endemic. Portugal and Britain are considering this as well.
What do other European nations say?
Although this new idea seems enthralling, many European nations and other countries are skeptical because this new approach is opposite from the virus-free goal of the other countries.
According to the experts, the U.K. has almost 95% of its population with antibodies. On that note, in the U.K., mask-wearing in public places and Covid passports will be stopped from January 26, announced the prime minister, Boris Johnson, on January 19, Wednesday after reviewing the latest data. He also mentioned that five days of isolation would remain for those infected.
Amidst this dilemma of pronouncing the virus outbreak as an endemic, Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Greece, and other European nations record a spike in cases every day. Meanwhile, Germany has redoubled its efforts in vaccinating its population by imposing a fine on unvaccinated people in offices and putting restrictions again.
A daily surge of more than 400,000 cases in 24 hours on Tuesday has prompted France to take on new Covid-19 restriction measures and increase the vaccination drive. Netherlands and Denmark are doing the same.
Word from WHO
Following the intention stated by some of the countries in Europe to “live with the virus”, WHO head, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned the nations against the presumption that the pandemic is over. The World Health Organization insisted that it is too early to think that the virus has become endemic.
New cases are rising every day, and the mortal threat of the new variant remains. It maintained that the danger would only be eliminated when outbreaks would stop.
The WHO emergencies chief, Dr Michael Ryan, voiced, “It is somewhat a subjective judgement because it is not just about the number of cases, it is about severity and impact.”
Dr Anthony Fauci, the top infectious diseases doctor in the U.S., on Monday at the World Economic Panel said, “Covid cannot be considered as an endemic until it drops to a level that it does not disrupt society.”
Conclusion
It has been two years already, and new threats of new variants and outbreaks at every turn has made the public restless with all the restrictions in place. The need of getting the population vaccinated against the virus remains a top priority for the officials to decrease mortality.
Should the world brace for the possibility of living with the virus, or should it get ready for a much more substantial threat? That remains to be seen. But one thing is clear, the world has changed, and with the reduction in the severity of the symptoms of the Omicron variant and a large number of people immunized, the hopeful chances of the virus becoming an endemic does seem possible shortly.
Published By – Royal Roshan Rodrigues
Edited By – Kritika Kashyap
