Covid-19: Is the nightmare over?

Weakened virus variants, the number of people vaccinated and recovered are sufficient conditions for the world to overcome the Covid-19 "nightmare"...

The US is still researching next-generation vaccines to combat variants of the SARS-CoV2 virus. Illustration photo. (Source: Shutterstock)

On May 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the Covid-19 epidemic is no longer a public health emergency of international concern. However, because the pandemic is not yet over, WHO recommends that countries shift from emergency response to sustainable, integrated, long-term management of other threats.

Before the WHO announced this, most European countries had declared the end of the Covid-19 epidemic. Slovenia was the European country that “fired the first shot”, reopening its borders with Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy when Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa officially declared the end of the Covid-19 epidemic on May 15, 2020. Then, the country declared the end of the epidemic for the second time on June 15, 2021, after eight months of the epidemic resurgence, and lifted most of the related restrictions.

Europe takes the lead

Prime Minister Janez Jansa stressed that statistics show that Slovenia is the country with the best anti-epidemic situation in Europe and at the time of the announcement, the country does not need to continue using special measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

However, although the government declared the end of the epidemic, some measures are still maintained such as mandatory mask wearing, banning large gatherings in public places, ensuring social distancing rules, etc.

Sweden is a Nordic country that lifted most domestic Covid-19 testing and prevention restrictions from February 9, 2022.

Shortly after, the Swedish government announced the lifting of the remaining restrictions - implicitly declaring the pandemic in the country to be over, thanks to the effectiveness of vaccines and the less severe Omicron variant, which has reduced the number of severe cases and deaths.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak in the country, Sweden has limited the lockdown, instead, they mainly apply voluntary anti-epidemic measures.

Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallengren said that, despite the high number of Omicron cases, Covid-19 was no longer considered to pose a global pandemic-level public health risk. “When we knew about the pandemic, it was over,” Hallengren said.

From 9 February 2022, restaurants and bars in Sweden will be allowed to open after 11pm with no limit on the number of guests. Large events will no longer have attendance limits and will no longer require proof of vaccination. Passengers on public transport will no longer be required to wear masks, and recommendations to limit social contact will also be lifted.

The same can be seen in the Nordic countries, where restrictions have largely been lifted and infections have fallen significantly in recent weeks. Health experts say Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland all have high vaccination rates, which has helped protect their populations from the virus.

Across Europe, restrictions will be gradually lifted from around March 2022. According to The Guardian (UK), the French will lift most of their Covid-19 prevention regulations from March 14, 2022. In Germany, the lifting will be announced from March 20, 2022. Accordingly, people will only have to wear masks on public transport, at hospitals, nursing homes, and this regulation will no longer be in effect when going to places such as shops, restaurants, schools, etc.

US continues vaccine research

Later than European countries, on April 10, 2023, US President Joe Biden officially announced the end of the national health emergency due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 1 million people in the US over the past three years.

The move ends costly funding for Covid-19 tests, free vaccinations and other emergency measures since January 2020 to help the world's largest economy emerge from the pandemic.

The White House said that although the US officially ended the state of emergency for Covid-19, the administration is still researching next-generation vaccines and other measures to combat future variants of the SARS-CoV2 virus.

“The NextGen project accelerates and streamlines the rapid development of the next generation of vaccines and therapeutics through public-private partnerships,” said a senior US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The US “has made significant progress toward a comprehensive end to the Covid-19 pandemic,” according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, on February 9, 2022.

The Omicron variant is now on the wane, and many people have been vaccinated or had Covid-19, leading to a situation where people are sufficiently protected from the pandemic, moving from a global epidemic to an endemic phase. “There is no way to eradicate this virus, but the effects of it can be reduced, once enough people are protected by vaccination or have recovered,” said Dr. Fauci.

New Approach in Asia

According to advisory information on InsideAsia Tours, an Asian tour operator, most destinations have completely relaxed entry requirements, especially in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Singapore, Hong Kong (China), South Korea and Japan.

Following the WHO’s announcement that the Covid-19 emergency phase had passed, Japan lifted its overseas travel warning for its citizens on May 8, 2023. This was the final step in a process to fully resume tourism, returning to pre-pandemic levels. The country also lifted entry restrictions and resumed visa-free travel in October 2022, and removed all vaccination requirements on April 29, 2023. Tourists will no longer be required to take a pre-departure test or show proof of vaccination.

Hong Kong (China) has removed all Covid-19-related entry requirements from early 2023, allowing unvaccinated travelers to enter the country without any proof of vaccination or PCR test. In case of Covid-19 infection while here, visitors do not need to quarantine but still have to follow medical guidance to minimize the spread of the virus.

South Korea will remove PCR testing requirements from early October 2022. From April 1, 2023, it will exempt 22 countries from the K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization System) including the UK and 12 other countries in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

In Vietnam, on June 3, the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control agreed to move Covid-19 from Group A infectious disease to Group B infectious disease, and issued guidelines on the application of appropriate epidemic prevention and control measures to develop a sustainable control and management plan for Covid-19 in the 2023-2025 period under the new situation. Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO Representative in Vietnam, highly appreciated Vietnam's response measures from the beginning.

International experts have noted that Vietnam has become a typical example of successfully dealing with the pandemic, often mentioned and spread by WHO.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/covid-19-ac-mong-da-qua-230223.html