When the coronavirus pandemic was initially announced, Spaniards were told to remain at home for three months. They were not permitted to go outdoors for weeks, not even for exercise.
Children were banned from playgrounds, and the economy came to a halt.
Officials, however, hailed the harsh measures to save the health system from completely collapsing.
They claimed that lives had been saved.
Spain is now ready to follow a new COVID-19 guideline nearly two years later.
With one of Europe’s highest vaccination rates and one of the most pandemic-ravaged economies, the government is building the framework to handle the next infection spike as a chronic sickness rather than an emergency.
Similar measures are being considered in neighboring Portugal and the United Kingdom.
The plan is to go from crisis to control mode, handling the virus the same way nations deal with flu or measles.
This entails acknowledging that infections will occur and giving additional care for persons at risk and patients with difficulties.
Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s center-left prime minister, wants the European Union to adopt similar reforms now that the omicron version has proved that the condition is becoming less fatal.
According to Sánchez, the adjustments should not occur until the omicron surge is finished, but policymakers must begin constructing the post-pandemic environment right away:
According to the World Health Organization, it is too early to contemplate any urgent changes.
The organization does not have defined criteria for labeling COVID-19 an endemic disease. Still, experts have previously said that it will occur when the virus becomes more predictable, and there are no prolonged outbreaks.
Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergency head, stated it’s a bit of a subjective decision since it’s not simply about the number of instances; it’s about severity and effect.
On Monday at a World Economic Forum panel, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious diseases expert in the United States, stated that COVID-19 would not be labeled endemic until it fell below a certain threshold on a low enough level it does not impact society.
“Flu-ization” of COVID-19
Approximately 80% of Spain’s population has received two vaccination doses, and officials focus on strengthening adult immunity with third doses.
Trenche told The Associated Press that the coronavirus must be handled like the rest of the diseases. The general population must also accept that certain fatalities from COVID-19 are “unavoidable.”
“We can’t do on the sixth wave what we were doing on the first one: The model needs to change if we want to achieve different results,” he said.
The Spanish Health Ministry said that it is too early to publish any guidelines written by its experts and consultants. Still, the ministry indicated that one suggestion is to adopt an existing “sentinel surveillance” model presently used in the EU to monitor flu.
The tactic has been dubbed “flu-ization” of COVID-19 by Spanish media, despite authorities stating that influenza systems would need to be considerably modified to the coronavirus.
For the time being, the debate about shifting to an endemic strategy is restricted to wealthier countries that can afford to talk about the worst of the epidemic in the past tense.
Their access to immunizations and effective public health systems make the poor world envious.
It’s also vague how an endemic policy would coexist with’ the “zero-Covid” strategy adopted by China and other Asian countries and how it would impact international travel.
Overburdened by the unprecedented number of omicron cases, many nations are already abandoning mass testing and shortening quarantine periods, particularly for employees who exhibit just mild cold-like symptoms.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal, which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, said in a New Year’s address that the country has gone into an endemic phase.
However, the discussion over precise actions waned as the spread quickly sped to unprecedented levels – about 44,000 new cases in 24 hours were recorded on Tuesday.
However, hospital admissions and mortality in the vaccinated globe are significantly fewer than earlier peaks.
Mask-wearing in public places and COVID-19 passports will be phased out in the United Kingdom on January 26, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared on Wednesday, claiming that the current wave had “peaked nationwide.”
The rule that sick persons should isolate for five days remains in place, but Johnson said he would attempt to eliminate it in the coming weeks if virus data improves.
According to official figures, 95 percent of the British population has produced antibodies against COVID-19 via infection or immunization.
Johnson added that as COVID spreads, experts will need to replace legal requirements with advice and counseling, asking persons infected to be cautious and sensitive of others.
