OREANDA-NEWS The World Health Organization (WHO) called «likely» the end of the pandemic in Europe after the end of the current wave of the spread of the «omicron» variant of the coronavirus. This was announced on Sunday, January 23, by WHO Director for the European region Hans Kluge in an interview with AFP.

According to him, «it is likely that the region is moving towards the final phase of the pandemic». However, Kluge warned of the need for careful monitoring of possible new variants of SARS-CoV-2. As the WHO representative noted, after the wave of «omicron» in Europe subsides, «for several weeks and months there will be global immunity, either due to vaccination or due to the fact that people have received immunity after infection». The situation may also be affected by the approach of the warm season.

«So, we can prepare for a period of calm before COVID-19 manages to come back at the end of the year, but the pandemic will not necessarily return», Kluge summed up. Nevertheless, according to him, the coronavirus «surprised us more than once, so we need to be very careful».

According to WHO estimates, more than 60 percent of the inhabitants of the European region may become infected with the «omicron» mutation SARS-CoV-2 before March. Variant B.1.1.529, called «omicron», was first identified in Botswana and South Africa in November 2021. In some EU countries, they see a very contagious, but less dangerous variant of SARS-CoV-2 as a chance to get out of the covid pandemic and begin to lift restrictions.