01-03-2022, 11:26 PM
If the early Omicron severity data proves to be correct (and that's still definitely an "if") the (Omicron) risk to a vaccinated person will likely start to approach the risk from the seasonal flu. Maybe not yet at that level, but going in that direction.
People do die from the flu, it is certainly not risk-free if you have some pre-existing conditions. And if COVID-19 turns into an endemic disease, some people will still die, for sure, but hopefully it will be fewer than die from the flu (which is a reasonable comparison point). Until now, COVID-19 has been considerably more dangerous, but the vaccines and Omicron are starting to change that picture.
But I don't have the public health or medical background to determine "when", let alone "how" we should get to that point in a (hopefully) controlled fashion.
People do die from the flu, it is certainly not risk-free if you have some pre-existing conditions. And if COVID-19 turns into an endemic disease, some people will still die, for sure, but hopefully it will be fewer than die from the flu (which is a reasonable comparison point). Until now, COVID-19 has been considerably more dangerous, but the vaccines and Omicron are starting to change that picture.
But I don't have the public health or medical background to determine "when", let alone "how" we should get to that point in a (hopefully) controlled fashion.