Because the Omicron variant can represent the breakthrough we have all been waiting for

The “bridge variant for the transition from the pandemic to the endemic phase” has been defined. That is: that umpteenth SARS-CoV-2 mutation that will ferry us – thanks to the vaccines – from a situation of constant emergency to a new one of coexistence with the virus, with a consequent and progressive return to a sort of normality.

He talked about it Francesco Le Foche, clinical immunologist of the Policlinico Umberto I in Rome, in an interview published on Corriere.it, in which he believes that in two or three months, thanks to the Omicron variant, we will reach a new phase in which we will have to learn to live together with the virus, obviously without neglecting attentive and responsible behavior. “For this to happen, however, it is necessary to go ahead with vaccinations, immunizing as many people as possible,” emphasizes the immunologist. “Because the virus is less dangerous especially thanks to vaccinations. The admissions to intensive care and fatal cases are mostly related to unvaccinated and hyper-fragile people, that is, with an ineffective immune system and therefore unresponsive to vaccinations “.

The news related to the numerous infections from Omicron, characterized however for the most part by mild symptoms (especially if you are vaccinated) and attributable to a simple cold or a typical flu, and with a number of hospitalizations and hospitalizations that are maintaining a stable low , would now be playing a preponderant role in spreading a feeling of “habit of the virus” among the population.

On the one hand, the shield of vaccines, which avert the risk of contracting Covid in its most serious forms, on the other the arrival of new antiviral drugs capable of blocking the replication of the virus; the scenario seems to be constantly improving, opening our hearts to the hope of a possible resumption of “normal” life, without too many risks or excessive limitations.

As noted by political scientist Yascha Mounk – associate professor at John Hopkins University and author of the essay People vs Democracy – in an article published in recent days in the Atlantic, “Omicron is the beginning of the end of the Covid pandemic”, as a social phenomenon.

“Despite the skyrocketing number of cases, few experts or politicians are proposing rigorous measures to slow the spread of the virus,” he writes in the article. “The interest in closures or other large-scale social interventions is simply not there. This means that we have effectively given up on “slowing the spread” or “flattening the curve”. To a much greater extent than in previous waves, we have quietly decided to raise our hands ».

Mounk adds that the Biden administration’s latest policies are indicative of this change. “According to New York Times, White House plans include “sending military troops to help hospitals cope with Covid waves, distributing ventilators to places that need them, calling for a law to speed up the production of Covid tests; sending free tests to people and opening more places for vaccination. All sensible measures. But which mainly belong to the “adaptation” system ».

Ultimately, the new priority objective would be to find adequate ways to deal with a wave of cases and no longer, primarily, to prevent them from occurring.

Thesis that Mounk also reiterates in an interview with Corriere: “We have become accustomed to the fact that our life will involve more risks in 2022 than in 2019”, he explains, “but collectively and individually we choose that living in a more normal way is worth it. take those risks “.

Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you:

Omicron variant, the doctor who discovered it: “Mild symptoms, exaggerate travel restrictions”

Omicron variant: are anti-Covid vaccines effective? Here’s what we know so far