Do Van Dung, head of the Public Well being Division at Ho Chi Minh Metropolis College of Medication and Pharmacy, stated a brand new wave is prone to seem except most individuals have already developed “sturdy” antibodies.
Usually, these beforehand contaminated by or immunized towards infectious ailments like Covid-19 will see their antibodies lower over time, inflicting a number of totally different waves earlier than endemic standing is achieved.
“For now, antibodies amongst Vietnamese stay unstable and outbreaks will happen periodically,” he informed an area medical convention Thursday.
“I feel we’ll expertise one or two extra Covid-19 waves brought on by the Omicron pressure and if they don’t trigger many extreme circumstances or fatalities, Vietnam can take a look at Covid-19 as a standard illness in round six months from now,” stated Dung.
A brand new wave is acknowledged when the variety of infections recorded day by day surges considerably in comparison with earlier days, he stated.
Truong Huu Khanh, an epidemiologist and a member of the Nationwide Board for Vaccine Analysis, stated Vietnam ought to deal with Covid-19 as a standard sickness quickly.
At present, Vietnam is present process a brand new wave however with most sufferers experiencing delicate signs and few extreme circumstances due to the Omicron pressure.
With Omicron dominating the brand new wave and “pushing away” the Delta pressure, the pandemic shouldn’t be a burden anymore, stated Khanh.
Hesitance over whether or not Covid-19 needs to be thought of a standard illness will trigger many financial impacts, together with the associated fee for testing and monitoring down associated circumstances.
As soon as it’s a frequent illness, individuals will not need to do the take a look at, which might be pricey for some, however solely take wanted cures to ease their signs, he stated.
However Dung stated a pandemic can solely turn out to be an endemic when it circulates steadily in the neighborhood, with the variety of circumstances remaining predictable at any given time.
It’s vital for herd immunity to be achieved whereas on the identical time the healthcare sector should achieve management of the pandemic, he stated.
Many international locations, even the U.S., have but to deal with Covid-19 as a standard illness since it’s nonetheless inflicting a demise toll four-five instances larger than the flu.
“Vietnam’s medical capability can’t be in contrast with the U.S. and our healthcare system is just not but sturdy sufficient to ensure that there might be no Covid-19 fatalities, subsequently we must always not take a look at Covid-19 as a standard illness but,” Dung stated.
Tran Dac Phu, a senior advisor at Public Well being Emergency Operations Heart, stated if there are not any extra new strains in future, or if there’s a vaccine that’s simpler towards the brand new coronavirus, or a selected remedy drug, then Covid-19 may turn out to be a standard illness by this yr’s finish.
For now, the pandemic stays “unpredictable” as “new strains would trigger new waves and it’s doable that current vaccines are not efficient.”
In January, the pinnacle of the World Well being Group Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that “it’s harmful to imagine that Omicron would be the final variant and that we’re ultimately recreation.”
Epidemiologist Adam Kucharski, an affiliate professor on the London Faculty of Hygiene and Tropical Medication, informed the South China Morning Put up earlier this week that the subsequent main variant of the coronavirus might emerge after the present “honeymoon interval” of transmission, like what had occurred earlier than the looks of the Delta variant final yr.
