Australia and Omicron: how and when will the Covid pandemic actually end?

But the hope is that Covid-19 becomes endemic, Baxter says; that is it becomes a relative constant presence circulating in the general population, behaving more predictably and mildly thanks to high rates of immunity, with any outbreaks not spreading beyond specific pockets of the population.

These prolonged infections have been seen particularly in patients with advanced, untreated HIV, a serious issue in sub-Saharan Africa where the Omicron variant was first detected, and where Covid-19 vaccination rates are also woefully low. In an opinion piece for Nature, researchers argued that vaccine equity but also access to treatment for HIV in Africa and curbing stigma could help the world see fewer Covid variants emerge.

Cromer says it is also important to remember that even once the pandemic is over, there may still be worse years than others, as with influenza.