Unanswered questions: From COVID-19 pandemic to endemicity

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the COVID-19 outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Two years on, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic remains elusive.

More Questions Than Answers

It is time to reflect on vigilant efforts and fill crucial niches in answering some pressing questions:

1. When is a pandemic officially over?
   • When does WHO lift the Covid PHEIC?
   • What’re the scientific metrics beyond social and political determinants?
   • What’re collective cognition of the public?
2. Should China end zero-COVID policy?
   • Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have functionally declared an end to the pandemic in their countries.
   • Poland, Slovakia, Iceland, Switzerland have eased masking recommendations. And the U.S. CDC eased masking recommendations for some 70% of U.S. residents.
   • China and New Zealand are pursuing zero COVID-19 strategies.
3. What’re the determinants from COVID-19 pandemic to endemicity?
   • Will Omicron end the pandemic?
   • A known winter burden of ill health (the average annual numbers of hospitalization and deaths from influenza and pneumonias) can be treated as a benchmark for COVID-19 endemicity?

References

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• J.-M. Chen, Y.-Q. Chen, China can prepare to end its zero-COVID policy. Nat. Med. (2022), doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01794-3.