As contagious as it is, the Omicron variant is a bearer of hope, according to a Danish epidemiologist, who sees a way out of the crisis.
On Monday, Tyra Gorve Krause, one of the officials of the Danish Infectious Disease Control Agency (ISS) estimated that Covid-19 could affect the lives of Danes for two months.
“I think we have two months, and then I hope that the infection will begin to subside and that we will find a normal life”, she thus launched on television, according to the words reported by the Daily Mail.
While Denmark is facing a very high level of contamination, she explains: “Omicron will peak at the end of January and in February, we will see a drop in the infectious pressure and a decrease in the pressure on the health system”.
The specialist relies on the results of the study conducted by the SSI, according to which the Omicron variant is certainly very contagious but it is also less dangerous and leads to half the number of hospitalizations than the Delta variant.
According to Tyra Gorve Krause, with high infection levels, Omicron will allow the population to acquire a form of herd immunity. “Omicron is here to stay. It is going to lead to a massive spread of the infection over the next month or so. When it’s over, we’ll be in a better position than before, ”she said.
Olivier Véran, also optimist
The Danish epidemiologist is not the only one to see the end of the pandemic. The Minister of Health Olivier Véran thus underlined the weekend in the columns of the JDD that the fifth wave is “perhaps the last”. In view of “the rate of contamination in our country and elsewhere on the planet, it is likely that we have all acquired some form of immunity or by vaccination, or by infection, or both”.
French epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet is also hopeful that Covid-19 will turn into a seasonal disease, like the common cold. We can expect that “new variants will emerge but, as our immunity strengthens over time, their capacity to give severe forms will decrease”, he underlined, specifying that “the more time, the less the waves will be painful ”.
In the hope that this theory will be confirmed, it is however advisable to remain vigilant and to continue to respect the barrier gestures and the health protocols.
