“I still have great confidence in the COVID-19 pandemic finishing by the end of 2022,” Zhang Wenhong, a Shanghai-based top infectious disease expert, said in an interview with China Media Group on January 15, cgtn reported
“This might be the last ‘cold winter,'” he said.
Zhang said whether it is due to the level of herd immunity, the immune barrier established by vaccines or the expected launch of new treatment drugs in 2022, the end of the pandemic is near.
When asked about concerns surrounding the Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, Zhang said they are merely mutations of the same virus and all viruses change over time. However, it would be of serious concern if SARS-CoV-2 had mutated with other coronaviruses, he said, adding that “it’s very unlikely.”
“I believe that with the experience we have accumulated in dealing with COVID-19, we will still be able to cope with it no matter how the virus mutates in the future,” he said.
