What you need to know now to survive the peak

Berlin Some virologists are gradually seeing the end of the pandemic approaching. Christian Drosten expects an endemic state to be reached by the end of the year. Data analyst and corona expert Tomas Pueyo, one of the first to warn of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, expects a period of relaxation in spring – if no new immune escape variant with higher virulence appears, according to the author of the widely acclaimed essay “The Hammer and the Dance”.

However, in view of the initial optimistic outlook, one should not rush into carelessness. Because despite the tendency towards milder courses, omicron also harbors risks – and the endemic is not the end of Corona. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns against playing down omicron.

This variant also leads to hospital admissions and deaths, even less severe cases would flood the health facilities. The story that omicron causes a harmless disease is misleading and costs lives. The pandemic is “far from over”.