A bombshell study out of South Africa, which is currently the epicenter of the world’s omicron surge, has indicated that the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may be ending.
Bloomberg reported that a study of patients infected with COVID-19 at a large hospital in the South African city where the first outbreak of the omicron variant was discovered found that while this variant moved at an “unprecedented speed,” it caused much milder illness than earlier strains.
“If this pattern continues and is repeated globally, we are likely to see a complete decoupling of case and death rates,” the researchers said, adding that this suggests “omicron may be a harbinger of the end of the epidemic phase of the Covid pandemic, ushering in its endemic phase.”
