When will the COVID-19 pandemic end? It is the question hanging over practically everything since the novel coronavirus rampaged the world last year.
At the start of the pandemic, there was hope that the coronavirus could be controlled in places it had reached, but it eventually became prevalent in all parts of the globe. Over 104 million people have been infected, and more than 2.2 million fatalities were recorded due to COVID-19 complications since then.
When Will We Return to Normal?
According to Singapore's Education Minister Lawrence Wong at the Singapore Perspectives 2021 conference hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in Singapore on Monday, there are still numerous uncertainties to contend with in the coming few years. He shared his hopes regarding how the future could be "reset" after the pandemic.
Wong stated, "At some point of time the pandemic will pass, but it may take four to five years before we finally see the end of the pandemic and the start of a post-COVID normal. What will this new post-COVID world look like? No one can tell," reported Livemint.
2 Ways to Describe a Plague's End
Two ways to describe an "end" to a plague is elimination and eradication. Elimination is a reduction of new cases to a preferably low number (most favorably zero). Eradication is a clear, permanent, and entire wiping out of an infectious agent.
Bloomberg has built the largest database of COVID-19 shots administered across the globe, with over 119 million doses administered. United States science officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have suggested it will take 70 to 85 percent coverage of the world's population to return to normal, reported Bloomberg Quint.
Also Read: Are Two Face Masks More Effective Than One as Shield From COVID-19?
Now, numerous COVID-19 vaccines are available, and vaccination drives are being disseminated aggressively in several countries. They have raised hopes, reported India Today.
Wong remarked there was still much uncertainty regarding how the virus will shape society in the coming years.
He said that acting in accordance with safe management measures, including avoiding crowds and face mask-wearing, will continue for this year and "maybe a good part of next year."
According to Wong, "Beyond that, the availability of COVID-19 vaccinations will progressively restart global travel, but getting the world vaccinated won't be quick or easy."
Much has been learned regarding COVID-19's ability to be transmitted between people, make infected people susceptible to a range of major health problems, and infect cells. Estimating its duration in a global population is conditional on how we all behave, which could be more difficult to model.
7 Years at Today's Vaccine Rates
According to a Bloomberg estimate, seven years is the duration to bring the virus to an end through immunization at the current rate. Bloomberg has quoted United States science officials indicating that vaccine coverage of 70-85 percent population would be required to return to normalcy.
Bloomberg's Vaccine Tracker displays that several countries are making far more swift progress than others. The target is 75 percent coverage with a two-dose vaccine.
Israel, the nation with the highest inoculation rate globally, is headed for 75 percent coverage in merely two months.
