this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2024
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I think we need to walk back a little and manage the expectations as to what "the pandemic is over" means and always meant. It doesn't mean "Covid will go away". It won't. It will never go away. The pandemic is over because it entered into the endemic stage. All the things we did during the pandemic phase of Covid was to save as many people as possible until
A) a vaccine was found (check) and
B) an endemic variant emerged. (Check) an endemic variant is a mutation that's harmless enough so people don't become too sick and spread the bastard around. That's what Omicron is.
Yes, people die of Covid. People die of many pathogens, bow we have one more. But we cannot make it go away. We could mask up, keep distance forever, but that would cost us dearly, if not economically, at least mentally. There will always be Covid deaths from now on and nothing can change that as far as we know. Yet, that was clear from almost day 1 of the pandemic.
Besides: look at who dies of Covid. It's those with weakened immune systems mostly. I want everyone to live as long and as happily as possible, but we need to acknowledge that some are sicker than others and all of us will die. Those who die of Covid are compromised on a way that would have them die from the flu or any number of other pathogens around (for the most part).
Like it or not, that's what the world is like and always has been like. Until we find a way to eradicate viruses, people will die from Covid. End of story.
So how many new viruses does it take before we panic? What if every five years a new world changing virus like Covid comes out? What if we all get sick so often our bodies can no longer supply enough Tcells? Compare this to tech. Would you surf the Internet without a firewall?
Not comparable, not how viruses work.
We actually saw COVID coming (researchers and scientists did at least, there are been papers and documentary about it even), but there's a very low chance we'd get yet another pandemic so soon
It was already predicted? How can something like that be done?
How can someone predict a rapidly mutating virus will appear in new forms?
Is that a serious question? The common cold? SARS? MERS?
That's like asking how I can predict a new Star Wars show or movie will come out in the future.
Might not. But probably will.
Lets start again, the OP said that they (Scientists) saw a pandemic coming, and then says how the chance of another pandemic is very low, so I was asking how it can be said whether a new pandemic is coming or not, is there some sort of timeframe they follow?
(I am not presenting this as an argument, it’s a genuine question, I feel like I need to make this clear)
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/pandemics-epidemics-disease-covid-likelyhood/
Despite the link, it's just statistical averages regarding frequency. And my understanding is, partially due to climate change and partially due to a more globalized world, pandemics will increase in frequency.
Even if we got one again... Is a life dictated by fear of the next mean thing worth living?