Dr. Tam Says It's 'Possible' The Pandemic Ends By April But There Are Other 'Potential Futures'
The top doc addressed an expert's opinion that COVID-19 will return but the pandemic won't after Omicron.
According to the country's top doctor, it's "possible" that the pandemic could end by the time April comes but there are still "different potential futures."
During a COVID-19 update on January 21, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam was asked for her opinion on new commentary by Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, that said following the Omicron wave, COVID-19 will return but the pandemic won't after March.
"There are many experts in the world trying to work out this question and I don't think what you just said is necessarily the scenario but it is a possible scenario," Tam said.
Murray's commentary included a projection that a large proportion of the world's population will have been infected with Omicron by March 2022.
Then for some weeks or months after that, the world should expect low levels of transmission.
"The current period of extraordinary social and economic disruption is likely coming to an end," Murray said.
Canada's top doctor noted that one possible scenario could be that after the Omicron wave, as more people get boosters and more kids get vaccinated, the population should have "a reasonably good immunity" for that period of time and against Omicron.
"We need to prepare for different potential futures," she said.
Since waning immunity does happen, Tam mentioned that there needs to be preparation for any potential variants that could emerge.
"At the same time though we do need to lay out a strategy and a plan towards moving back to something that is nearer normality," she said.
"I think one thing that many experts do agree on is that COVID-19 is going to stay and coronavirus will continue to be in the human population," Tam continued.
Murray echoed this statement, noting that COVID-19 will be here for many years as a recurrent disease that intensifies seasonally during the fall and winter.
At the end of 2021, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, said he's "confident" that the world will end the pandemic in 2022.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.