Although the disease may return after a “quiet period” after the current peaks in infection caused by omicron, it may not return with the intensity associated with a pandemic, Kluge said.
Mika SalminenHead of Health Security, Department of Health and Welfare (THL), stated YLE on Monday that the acute pandemic phase caused by the new coronavirus may indeed end. However, the virus continues to spread among the population, but has a much smaller impact on societies, and the number of serious forms of the disease in particular is declining.
“You can’t say that with 100 percent certainty, but there’s a good chance,” he said. “If we are clear, such a pandemic will never end, but it will continue and take a different form. For example, the 2009-2010 swine flu pandemic is still present and subsequent mutations in the virus continue to cause seasonal influenza.
Kluge also estimates on Monday that the omicron transformation could infect up to 60 percent of Europeans by March.
The variant has spread like wildfire in Finland. Although the actual number of infections is expected to be significantly higher than reported, this month’s reported infections account for 40% of all reported pandemics in the pandemic, according to THL.
Salminen estimates that infections, along with vaccinations, could also increase protection against future variants of the virus.
“There’s still uncertainty, of course. We can’t be entirely sure what the next versions will be like,” he reminded the broadcaster. [omicron] Wave. But it is clear that the situation is completely different from what it has been. Mortality and morbidity have not increased with the number of cases, on the contrary.
He also drew attention to the importance of vaccinations and recalled that although omicron has shown its ability to break the immunity caused by the vaccine and cause infections, vaccines still provide good protection against severe forms of the disease.
If the situation continues to be positive, the restrictions should be lifted, according to Salminen.
“If restrictions are needed, they can be used to curb the epidemic. If they are no longer needed, they must be discarded. This applies to the whole of Europe, not just Finland. Ireland made this decision recently, and the same conclusion was reached earlier in Portugal.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT