Omicron might mark the end of Covid-19's pandemic phase, Fauci says

It's still too early to predict whether Omicron's rapid spread will help push coronavirus from the pandemic phase to a more manageable endemic phase -- but "I would hope that that's the case," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday.

A disease that is endemic has a constant presence in a population but does not affect an alarmingly large number of people or disrupt society, as typically seen in a pandemic.

Since Omicron is highly transmissible but apparently less likely to cause as severe disease as some previous variants, it could mark a transition from this Covid-19 pandemic chapter to an endemic phase.

"But that would only be the case if we don't get another variant that eludes the immune response to the prior variant," Fauci told the Davos Agenda, a virtual event this week held by the World Economic Forum.

"We were fortunate" that Omicron did not share some of the same characteristics as Delta, Fauci said. "But the sheer volume of people who are getting infected overrides that rather less level of pathogenicity."

"It is an open question as to whether or not Omicron is going to be the live virus vaccination that everyone is hoping for because you have such a great deal of variability with new variants emerging," he said.

That doesn't mean people should intentionally try to get the Omicron variant. Doctors say that's a terrible idea for several reasons.

And it doesn't mean the battle against Covid-19 is over -- especially as overwhelmed hospitals delay elective surgeries and schools switch to remote learning.

Omicron variant was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24 and was designated as a variant of concern two days later as it spread to several countries.

According to WHO, Omicron causes milder symptoms than the Delta variant.



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