[Skybird]

NEJM. Novembre 2021

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.105..._railB_article

Given the parade of variants, their varying transmissibility, and continuing concern about antigenic changes affecting vaccine protection, I believe it should now be clear that it is not possible to eliminate this virus from the population and that we should develop long-term plans for dealing with it after the unsupportable surges are fully controlled. Pandemic and seasonal influenza provide the most appropriate models to aid in developing strategies going forward.
(...)
Most predictions about the shape of the post–Covid-19 world have been inaccurate — a reflection of rapid changes in knowledge. But we can now see a picture emerging in which use of effective vaccines will continue to be critical over the long term. Increases in asymptomatic infections and mild illnesses in vaccinated people will nonetheless continue to be possible, as variants continue to emerge. Counts of hospitalizations and deaths may be more important in monitoring the overall impact than numbers of cases, as long as the vaccines continue to be largely effective at preventing severe illness. The possibility of severe illnesses in a small proportion of vaccinated people does emphasize one of the greatest unmet needs we currently face: continued emphasis on better therapeutics and antiviral agents, which will not be affected by molecular changes in the virus as much as vaccines are.