What's next for Omicron and the pandemic, according to a former CDC director?

Covid reminded us on Thanksgiving morning that neither death nor mutations take vacations. And, as the virus grows stronger, a pandemic of pandemic tiredness erodes our capacity to halt it. Border closures, stock market drops, and a communal sigh of relief followed the discovery of the Omicron variety. Will the epidemic ever end?

To limit the spread of illness, we must be able to learn rapidly, communicate effectively, and act quickly.

There's still a lot we don't know about Omicron, and clear answers to the most pressing issues will take weeks, if not months. In the era of Covid, the most precious resource we need to live well and succeed is fast, reliable information that is effectively evaluated and appropriately used.

The most crucial uncertainty regarding Omicron is how well it evades vaccination and past infection protection. Our response's most crucial uncertainty is whether governments can maintain enough public trust to undertake effective control measures. Learning together and spreading best practices throughout the world is our best hope for containing the epidemic.

The media's depiction of Omicron has engendered a sense of despondency, which is understandable. However, it's reassuring to consider how far we've come in the last year. We now have a better understanding of how the virus spreads, as well as risk factors and medicines for improved care of patients with severe illness. We also know that masks, ventilation, and separation can help prevent the virus from spreading. Most importantly, we have immunizations that are extremely safe and effective.

Let's not sugarcoat what's about to happen. The Delta variation has already caused a huge Covid rise in the United States and Europe, the flu season has begun, and Omicron is expected to produce another wave of infections. Even without Omicron, the United States would be in for a rocky few months. Winter is shaping up to be a difficult one.

Although better ventilation and effective testing programs play important roles, success in the face of Covid will require increased vaccination and indoor masking, including through mandates, on the one hand, and individual and societal decisions on balancing individual and collective risks and benefits on the other.

Vaccine, vaccinate, and vaccinate some more. That is, reach out to individuals who haven't had their first dose yet. Even regions where vaccination rates are high are susceptible to massive outbreaks, which largely affect the unvaccinated. The threshold for herd immunity is raised by a more infectious variation. Those who are immunosuppressed should receive a third dosage, and everyone should be given a boost. Also, vaccinate the whole globe. More is better when it comes to protection against a potentially fatal infection.

By neglecting to address global vaccination inequities, we are setting ourselves up for new deadly variations. The majority of individuals in high-income nations are completely vaccinated, with tens of millions receiving booster shots, but just around 10% of Africa's population is fully vaccinated. Manufacturers have regularly failed to meet their manufacturing objectives, putting poorer nations at the back of the vaccination queue.

Our greatest hope for avoiding more harmful variations from generating another pandemic wave is to rapidly boost manufacture of extremely efficient mRNA vaccines. Because Pfizer and Moderna have consistently failed to either increase vaccine production or license their technology to consortia of other companies, billions of people, including nearly everyone in low-income nations, are at danger of infection and death.

Both businesses indicated that Omicron-specific vaccines might be ready in months using mRNA technology, which is easier to scale up and adapt to address mutations. However, the worldwide demand might easily be four times the total manufacturing capacity of both enterprises.