Two years since the start of the pandemic, some European countries are now considering a different approach to COVID-19 by treating it as a sickness that is here to stay, like flu,
Spain, Portugal, and Britain plan to approach COVID-19 as an endemic instead of an emergency. But they will ensure extra care for people with higher risk and comorbidity.
Since the surge of the Omicron variant is less fatal, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez asked the European Union to consider modifying policies on managing the pandemic.
He urged European leaders to think of long-term strategies on "how to manage the pandemic with different parameters."
Sánchez appealed to EU officials to begin implementing the changes as soon as possible as there is a need to prepare for the post-pandemic world, as per AP News.
The media calls Sanchez's strategy "flu-ization" as government officials say that the system for handling influenza will be applied significantly to COVID-19 in Spain. Around 80% of the country's population is fully vaccinated, and authorities target giving booster shots to adults.
In Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced in his New Year's message that the country had entered into "an endemic phase," being one of the countries with the highest vaccination rates.
However, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country reached record levels, debates regarding specific measures subsided. Portugal had over 44,000 new cases registered in a single day on Tuesday.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that mandatory wearing of masks in public places and COVID-19 passports would be discontinued since the country has "peaked" in its COVID-19 cases.
However, the requirement of a five-day quarantine period for infected persons stays. But Johnson plans to scrap the policy if the numbers improve in the coming days.
According to government data, 95% of the British population has produced antibodies against COVID-19 through infection or immunization.
Read Also : Germany's Daily COVID-19 Cases Surpass 100,000; Health Official Says Numbers Have Not Peaked Yet
WHO Warns On Easing of Restrictions
The World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned that any rapid change is premature. Although the organization does not have precisely defined criteria for labeling COVID-19 an endemic illness, its experts have earlier noted that it will happen when the virus becomes more predictable, and there will be no prolonged outbreaks.
WHO head Dr. Tedros Adhanom cautioned world leaders that the pandemic is "nowhere near over" with the extraordinary transmission of Omicron, new varieties are likely to emerge, as per BBC.
Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO emergencies chief, advised leaders not to rely on numbers whenever they make policy changes. "It's about severity, and it's about impact," he said.
US: The Fight Against COVID-19 Is Not Yet Over
Meanwhile, United States President Joe Biden noted that the COVID-19 crisis in America is still far from over, and he will not "accept things as they are now."
"Some people may call what's happening now the new normal. I call it a job not yet finished. It will get better. We're moving toward a time and covid-19 won't disrupt our daily lives... Look, we're not there yet, but we will get there," Biden said in his message to close his first year as US President.
Data indicates that COVID-19 had killed more than 854,000 people in the US, while reported infections have reached above 68,628,000, according to Washington Post.
To help curb the number of infections, the Biden administration will be distributing N95 masks starting next week. Around 400 million high-quality masks will be given to the public via pharmacies and health centers, the largest in US history.
