Omicron not the last Covid-19 variant: Health experts


Features and Investigative Reports


Health

Omicron not the last Covid-19 variant: Health experts

KABUL (Pajhwok): Health experts have rejected media reports that Omicron is the last variant of Covid-19, saying the virus will last years and human beings must learn to live with it.

Rumors: Recently, reports on social media said Omicron was the last type of the virus and that it was going away.

Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) recently released a reported headlined “A Chinese expert announces end of the virus this year.”

The report quoted a specialist as claiming that the virus would end this year. The specialist opined with vaccination of people, the end of the pandemic was near.

Meanwhile, Salam Now also published a reported titled “Omicron probably the last variant of the virus.”

The report warned the variant would continue to spread rapidly in the coming weeks, with an average of 66,000 cases a week.

The Tujarat news website also published an article titled “Will the coronavirus end soon?”

Omicron, while is likely to be the final variant of the coronavirus, will start diminishing by February 20.

Fact check;

Dr. Zalmay Rishteen, director of the Afghan-Japan Hospital told Pajhwok the virus would remain with human beings like other infectious diseases.

Dr. Javed Hajir, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, said the World Health Organisation had so far said nothing about Omicron being the latest variant of the virus.

He believed the virus would remain like other viruses for years.

Meanwhile, another Iranian media outlet, Mehr News Agency, also released an article on how long the virus would continue to infect people.

“The coronavirus would be with us for many years. We hope people will adapt to it, get vaccinated and follow health guidelines,” said Dr. Payam Tabarsi, head of the infectious disease department at Maseeh Daneshvari Hospital.

sa/mud

Hits: 10