As the third winter of the coronavirus pandemic looms in the northern hemisphere, scientists are warning weary governments and populations alike to brace for more waves of COVID-19.
In the United States alone, there could be up to a million infections a day this winter, Chris Murray, head of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation , an independent modeling group at the University of Washington that has been tracking the pandemic, told Reuters. That would be around double the current daily tally.
These forecasts raise new questions about when countries will move out of the COVID emergency phase and into a state of endemic disease, where communities with high vaccination rates see smaller outbreaks, possibly on a seasonal basis. If that variant also causes more severe disease and is better able to evade prior immunity, that would be the "worst-case scenario," according to a recent World Health Organization Europe report.
Scientists said other unknowns complicating their forecasts include whether a combination of vaccination and COVID infection – so-called hybrid immunity – is providing greater protection for people, as well as how effective booster campaigns may be. "If it happens there, it can happen here. Let's prepare for a proper flu season," said John McCauley, director of the Worldwide Influenza Centre at the Francis Crick Institute in London.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden tests positive for COVID-19, againIn accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Biden will reenter isolation for least five days
Read more »
Is COVID prematurely aging our immune systems?Repeated SARS\u002DCoV\u002D2 infections may be prematurely aging human immune systems, research suggests
Read more »
Death of doctor who faced threats over COVID shocks AustriaBERLIN — Austrian political leaders have expressed shock over the death of a doctor who closed her practice after she reported receiving death threats from…
Read more »
Ontario doctor suspended for spreading COVID disinformation, latest in string of pandemic-defying MDs\u0027Is it for notoriety, is it because of ideology, is it because they think their practice is going to benefit from it? Who knows?\u0027
Read more »
Is COVID prematurely aging our immune systems? | SaltWireIs COVID prematurely aging our immune systems? | SaltWire New research suggests repeated COVID infections may be prematurely aging human immune systems.
Read more »
Is COVID prematurely aging our immune systems?Repeated SARS\u002DCoV\u002D2 infections may be prematurely aging human immune systems, research suggests
Read more »