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Pandemic endgame: Vigilance needs to continue and much remains to be done
As the Omicron wave continues to infect populations there is a sense of relief that a milder strain has arrived and all is going to be well and we can afford to let our guard down.
However, the more the virus multiplies and spreads the risk for newer mutants and variants increase and it is not necessary that the variants that follow will have less severity.
Continued epidemiological surveillance needs to be alert to changes in distribution and clinical presentation to detect changes in behaviour of the virus and respond quickly to contain emerging strains.
This needs to be supplemented by consistent sentinel genomic surveillance to identify the emerging variants and guide development of updated vaccines.
Countries will need to continue to respond to surge capacity and upgrade their clinical capacity to respond to increasing number of cases. Algorithms for triage need to be customised to the local epidemiological pattern of cases so that deaths and suffering can be minimised and the available resources are best utilised.
Follow-up mechanisms need to be instituted for tracking long term consequences of the infection.
Vaccine equity needs to be strongly advocated and ensured by political and administrative commitment.
Sharing intellectual property and know-how through the pooling COVID-19 Technology Access Pool and the mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub (WHO) and other initiatives needs to be strongly advocated and ensured.
Much of the damage is likely to continue to be borne by the economically backward communities which need to be supported by the affluent nations.
Re: Covid-19: Europe could be headed for pandemic “endgame,” says WHO region chief
Dear Editor
Pandemic endgame: Vigilance needs to continue and much remains to be done
As the Omicron wave continues to infect populations there is a sense of relief that a milder strain has arrived and all is going to be well and we can afford to let our guard down.
However, the more the virus multiplies and spreads the risk for newer mutants and variants increase and it is not necessary that the variants that follow will have less severity.
Continued epidemiological surveillance needs to be alert to changes in distribution and clinical presentation to detect changes in behaviour of the virus and respond quickly to contain emerging strains.
This needs to be supplemented by consistent sentinel genomic surveillance to identify the emerging variants and guide development of updated vaccines.
Countries will need to continue to respond to surge capacity and upgrade their clinical capacity to respond to increasing number of cases. Algorithms for triage need to be customised to the local epidemiological pattern of cases so that deaths and suffering can be minimised and the available resources are best utilised.
Follow-up mechanisms need to be instituted for tracking long term consequences of the infection.
Vaccine equity needs to be strongly advocated and ensured by political and administrative commitment.
Sharing intellectual property and know-how through the pooling COVID-19 Technology Access Pool and the mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub (WHO) and other initiatives needs to be strongly advocated and ensured.
Much of the damage is likely to continue to be borne by the economically backward communities which need to be supported by the affluent nations.
Competing interests: No competing interests