WHAT a difference a month makes. In November, when we commissioned our retrospective on the amazing scientific endeavour that has characterised the covid-19 pandemic over the past two years, life in certain parts of the planet was inching its way back to some semblance of normality. Then came the curveball, omicron.
No one should have been surprised. A variant such as this was predictable, as World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pointed out. Countries can expect more of the same in the year to come. As long as cases remain high around the world, other variants will follow. And while recent analyses suggest that omicron is more transmissible but less severe than delta (people with omicron seem , future variants may be more dangerous.
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So we should expect more twists and turns in 2022. In many ways, the progress of the past two years has prepared us for them. We have 23 approved covid-19 vaccines that offer significant protection against severe disease. We have new antivirals that can prevent hospitalisation in those who are most at risk, and a pipeline of other treatments on the way.
鈥淭he choices we all make each day can still help steer the direction of the pandemic鈥�
That doesn鈥檛 mean it is time to 鈥渓earn to live with鈥� the virus, a phrase commonly used to suggest ditching all restrictions and protective measures. The year will be long and people鈥檚 behaviour will make a big difference to how things play out. With omicron spreading fast, some countries, including the UK, are seeing higher numbers of new cases than they have since the start of the pandemic. Each one gives the virus a chance to mutate.
Yet again, the new variant is a reminder of the need for global vaccine equity if the course of the pandemic is to be truly changed as we enter its third year. Whatever curveballs lie ahead, the choices we all make each day 鈥� with regards to social distancing, mask wearing, vaccination and good ventilation 鈥� will also help steer the pandemic in the right direction in the year to come.
