The coronavirus pandemic has been going on for a good year and a half, and in the future COVID-19 could become endemic – that is, constantly recurring, like the flu. Virologist Christian Drosten does not see such a development in Germany for the time being, because the vaccination rate is too low. In contrast, there is a good chance of this happening in another European country.
In the UK, COVID-19 may soon become an endemic disease
Drosten said in an interview with the newspaper Die Zeit that in some countries the pandemic could turn endemic as early as this fall and winter. As the virologist stated, “the UK is probably one of them, while in Germany this is not likely to happen at the moment.”
He justifies this on the grounds that far fewer people have been infected with coronavirus in Germany than in the UK, and in addition the percentage vaccinated is much lower. The level of immunity is therefore insufficient to look forward to the arrival of winter without fear. The term endemic means that there is a consistent occurrence of a particular disease in an area in numbers that remain similar over many years. This is the case with the flu, which recurs every year.
Will Sars-CoV-2 be the cause of colds in the future?
“I assume that Sars-CoV-2 will behave like other endemic coronaviruses in the long term,” Drosten added. They have gradually weakened and now cause only mild colds in the vast majority of cases. However, it is uncertain whether this will be the case for Sars-CoV-2.
The vaccination campaign in Germany continues to slow down. Despite the federal government declaring this week a nationwide vaccination week, the number of daily doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered is not increasing. And that’s despite the fact that vaccination for children aged 12-17 began a few weeks ago. Interest was initially high in this age group, but has recently declined – as it has in all other age groups.
Source: www.n-tv.de