Fauci: It is too early to say whether Omicron marks Covid-19 final

White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday that it was still too early to predict whether the Omicron variant of Covid-19 would signal the final wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Omicron variant, although highly contagious, has been found to be less severe than previous variants, sparking hope that it could hasten the end of the pandemic. However, Fauci, speaking at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda online event, said there was no guarantee yet, according to CNBC.

“I hope so. But that would only happen if we did not find another variant that escapes the immune response of the previous variant,” he said.

Still, even if Omicron emerges as the final variant of Covid-19, it is unlikely to mean the end of the entire game for the virus, Fauci said. Instead, it will remain present in society at an endemic level.

At that stage, public health measures such as the use of a mask would no longer be required, and society could return to some level of normalcy that existed before Covid, he said.

Fauci was speaking with a group of public health experts who agreed that Omicron was likely to become the Covid-19 world executive in 2022. However, they were divided over whether he would be the final executive.

“It’s really too early to call it endemic. There’s a good chance we have a new variant,” said Anneliese Wilder Smith, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

A new variant is likely to be less serious considering the previous ones, but it remains important to prepare for the worst, he said.

However, Richard Hutchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Readiness and Innovation, was more optimistic.

“Omicron will scan the world. Hopefully it will scan other variants,” he said, adding that the virus is likely to reach a tipping point where there will be an annual outbreak, such as the seasonal flu.