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https://theconversation.com/a-pandemic-that-wont-go-away-as-covid-enters-its-5th-year-nz-needs-a-realistic-strategy-224047>
"February 28 marks four years since COVID-19 was first reported in Aotearoa New
Zealand. Many of us are probably surprised this virus is still causing a
pandemic.
The World Health Organization refers to COVID-19 as a continuing pandemic. As
Scientific American put it recently, it “has been the elephant in every room
— sometimes confronted and sometimes ignored but always present”.
It wasn’t meant to be like this. The main wave of the 1918 influenza pandemic
swept through New Zealand in eight weeks, killing 9,000 people – almost 1% of
the population. Then it was largely gone, returning as a new seasonal flu
virus.
In doing so, it defined how pandemics were expected to behave. This model was
written into pandemic plans and collective thinking across the globe.
But COVID is still circulating four years after New Zealand reported its first
case, and more than two years after the Omicron variant arrived and infection
became widespread.
Constantly present, it is also occurring in waves. Unexpectedly, the current
fifth wave was larger than the fourth, suggesting we can’t rely on the
comforting assumption that COVID will get less severe over time."
This article gives a NZ perspective, but it applies everywhere.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
