Pandemic will be over in 2 months

[klondike]

Or so says Denmark's Chief Epidemiologist. Please let it be so.

I know few here are likely to have read this because of the source which I do read regularly and is the reason for much of my scepticism on the effectiveness of lockdowns. It is also reported in the Mail (link at bottom of story).

https://dailysceptic.org/2022/01/03/denmark-chief-epidemiologist-says-omicron-is-bringing-about-the-end-of-the-pandemic-and-we-will-have-our-normal-lives-back-in-two-months/

Knowing the aversion to link clicking I'll paste in the text from the story.

Denmark Chief Epidemiologist says Omicron is Bringing about the End of the Pandemic and "We Will Have Our Normal Lives Back in Two Months"

Tyra Grove Krause – the Chief Epidemiologist at Denmark's State Serum Institute – has said the Omicron variant is bringing about the end of the pandemic, saying "we will have our normal lives back in two months". Speaking to Danish TV 2, the scientist said a new Government study has found that the risk of hospitalisation from Omicron is half of that from Delta.

"I think we will have that in the next two months, and then I hope the infection will start to subside and we get our normal lives back," [Ms Krause] said on Monday.

Despite early fears that Omicron could prolong the pandemic due to its increased level of infection, Ms Krause said it actually could spell the end of the pandemic.

According to the study: "Omicron is here to stay, and it will provide some massive spread of infection in the coming month. When it's over, we're in a better place than we were before."

But while infection numbers in countries with the variant are soaring, the expert said that the highly infectious Omicron appears milder than the Delta variant, and therefore more people will be infected without having serious symptoms.

As a result, she said, this will provide a good level of immunity in the population.

Denmark has seen a spike in new cases in recent weeks, and on Sunday recorded its highest ever seven-day average infections, recording an average of 20,886 across the previous week, or 3,592.74 per million people – one of Europe's highest rates.

It reported its highest ever new infections on December 27th (41,035).

By comparison, the UK's seven-day average daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people sits at 2,823.31 as on Monday, while in the United States, that number is 1,215.76 – lower than many countries in Europe. 

Ms Krause stressed that there was still work to be done to beat the pandemic in the coming months, however.

"Omicron will peak at the end of January, and in February we will see declining infection pressure and a decreasing pressure on the health care system," she said.

"But we have to make an effort in January, because it will be hard to get through."

Encouraging stuff – though I'd be amazed if reported infections in Denmark continue rising until the end of January and don't peak well before then, given reported infections in Gauteng in South Africa peaked weeks ago and infections appear to have stopped rising in London as well.

Worth reading in full.

[Wandering Walter]

I hope his prediction is correct and accurate it may come about in Demark with much smaller population in two months time, however in the UK which has a much larger population it will take longer.

[klondike]

Not sure why you think population size would have much of an impact. It isn't as if people get infected in turn. When it gets rampant a bigger population just leads to more infections not a slower buildup. Same when infections are in decline. Infection graphs are pretty much the same shape and over the same timescale everywhere. All that varies by much is the numbers scale.

[Wandering Walter]

The denser the population is the more chance or reinfection especially those with other underlying medical conditions, we also have a higher elderly population, no medical expert is certain of what happen next one way or another   

[Raven]

As far as Scotland goes, I won't hold my breath. 

[Wandering Walter]

I just hope we come out of this pandemic at some time in the near future, even if it means we will need a yearly vaccination 

[Raven]

I agree with you Walter, I have to have a flu Jag every year so a Covid one too would be ok. 

[klondike]

Me too. Omicron has looked like a natural vaccine right from when South Africa, where it was discovered, started talking of their experience with it. Of course they are in the southern hemisphere and an entirely different society but it now looks like our experience tallies quite closely with theirs. Sky high infections with no corresponding big surge in hospital admissions or deaths. Increases yes but not in line with infections.

I guess we'll have a far better insight come spring.

[GrannyMac]

Happy to have an annual vaccination, I wonder if it could be a joint one with flu.

[Wandering Walter]

I agree with you Walter, I have to have a flu Jag every year so a Covid one too would be ok. 

Yes me too at least two days outing a year 

[Jacqueline]

Happy to have an annual vaccination, I wonder if it could be a joint one with flu.

Not so sure about that GrannyMac, I and most people I know have not had a bad reaction to the flu jab, but a quite few of my family and friends have felt poorly after their Covid vaccine, I think its rather a lot for the body to take in one go,  I would rather have them separately.

[Raven]

Not so sure about that GrannyMac, I and most people I know have not had a bad reaction to the flu jab, but a quite few of my family and friends have felt poorly after their Covid vaccine, I think its rather a lot for the body to take in one go,  I would rather have them separately.

Yes so would I, thankfully there were a few weeks between them for me this time BUT, my daughter who works in a Doctory Surgery was given hers both at once while at work. She barely made it home from work that day and went straight to bed when she finally got in. She was off work for the next few days feeling quite ill, dizzy, sick, and too tired to get up out of bed. She says she'll refuse to have them both together in the future.

[Wandering Walter]

French Scientists have found a new strain of Covid 


https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/europe/france-scientists-discover-new-covid-variant-ihu-dubbed-as-more-infectious-than-omicron-articleshow.html

[klondike]

Darwin wouldn't be overly surprised.

[Wandering Walter]

I'm not