Covid-19 pandemic nearing its end, says lung specialist
The Covid-19 pandemic should end soon as the Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2 will make it an endemic disease, respiratory specialist Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs said in a Facebook post on Friday.
An endemic disease is one that is constantly present in a greater or lesser degree among people of a certain class or living in a particular location.
“The BA.2 subvariant is now found in 57 countries, and in some areas, it has quickly become a major subvariant instead of BA.1 or the original Omicron variant,” the specialist from Vichaiyut Hospital said.
“The World Health Organisation said BA.2 is 50 per cent more transmissible than BA.1 but is not more dangerous when it comes to severe symptoms or deaths among infected patients.”
Omicron BA.2 has also been dubbed the “stealth variant” due to difficulties in telling the difference between BA.2 and Delta variants using the RT-PCR method.
Manoon added that those who have received their first two shots and a booster will have enough immunity to prevent severe symptoms and death after contracting either BA.1 or BA.2.
“The BA.2 subvariant will replace every variant of Covid-19 found earlier in almost every country,” he said. “Most people will pick up the infection faster, build herd immunity and bring an end to the pandemic. Covid-19 should become an endemic disease within this year.
“Those who have never been vaccinated or have only received their first jab should get their remaining shots. This is the only way we can end this pandemic for good,” Manoon said.
