Coronavirus: Scientists warn of endemic delusion – Cautious about “living” with the virus

Γan “endemic delusion” warn scientists commenting on several countries rushing to lift restrictions on coronavirusif not to declare the end of the pandemic, on the grounds that it is time to live with Covid-19, noting that it is premature such excessive relaxation.

As the cases of Covid-19, after its sudden mass wave Omicron mutationshow a declining trend in Europe and North America, where there is more fatigue among citizens after two years of pandemic, experts and do not look forward to “get rid” of the coronavirus. Thus, the assurances that “we can now live with the disease” and consider the coronavirus endemic, that is, a stable and predictable “entity” among other pathogenic microorganisms, increase.

Danger of countries being left unprepared for a new variant

This pervasive mentality is troubling many scientists, according to Science magazine, who fear it tends to undermine the premature commitment of governments and citizens to tackling the ongoing pandemic. Such a development risks leaving several countries “blind” and unprepared for a new variant of the coronavirus, which always remains a possibility.

“Endemic delusion is probably the term that best represents this situation.” said Christian Andersen, a Danish-born infectious disease specialist at the Scripps Research Institute, who is particularly critical of Denmark’s haste to announce that it no longer considers Covid-19 a “socially critical disease” this month, although deaths the cases are still increasing.

Many scientists recognize the difficulty of convincing the general public of the need to comply with the restrictions during the more contagious but less serious Omicron, when e.g. Mild and asymptomatic infections have increased significantly compared to the past. The Danish government and others now find it difficult to justify catering restrictions, entertainment, indoor events, etc., especially since the numbers of ICU patients are relatively stable and under control. This, on the other hand, does not mean that hospitals and health systems in general do not continue to be under pressure.

With more than 2,000 daily deaths in the United States last week, according to epidemiologist Jodi Guest of Emory University in Atlanta, “We can not say that we are at a level where it is tolerable to live with this virus.” Estimates that in a truly endemic stage the daily incidence should fall below 30 per 100,000 inhabitants, the ICUs should not exceed 80% of their capacity and especially the deaths should not exceed 100 per day (this in a country with a population 330 million, so one could make the reduction for the endemic phase in Greece).