Since the outbreak of covid-19 in early 2020, when the epidemic will end has been a common concern of governments, research institutions and people around the world. From the beginning of the epidemic, some people thought that it would pass quickly, just like the "SARS" in 2003, just "passing by" with human beings.
If at the beginning of 2020, in the case of human cognition of the new crown virus "basically zero", it is normal to have the idea of "passing by", which is also what human beings hope for. However, more than 2 years have passed, and the new crown epidemic not only has no past meaning, but even has a growing momentum. If there is a similar idea, it is very naïve.
At the end of 2021, some people in Europe and the United States proposed, and even famous public health experts said, that the new crown epidemic will soon be "declared over". There are also people in the United States who believe that the new crown epidemic is just a "big flu" and will "declare the end of the epidemic" at the end of 2022.
In fact, what Americans say about "declaring the epidemic over" does not mean that the epidemic is truly over. Because the essence of "declaring the end of the epidemic" in The United Kingdom, the United States and other European and American countries is "lying flat", which is to let it go, to give up, and to surrender.
We have seen that since the second half of 2021, under the circumstance that the epidemic in Europe and the United States and the global epidemic are becoming more and more serious, many countries in Europe and the United States are deregulating, and its essence is to announce the "surrender" to the new crown virus. It is nothing more than the "surrender" is secretly replaced by the quotation mark "declare the end" to cover up the government's incompetence and failure in fighting the epidemic.
At the same time, we must also see that in 2022, some domestic experts said that the epidemic situation in the mainland will end when the spring blossoms this year. Let's not say what the scientific data of this view is, nor where the source of the bottom line of this statement is, if in the first half of 2020-2021, the characteristics of the mainland epidemic are showing that many places have taken turns, then since the second half of 2021, the characteristics of the mainland epidemic are spread in many places at the same time. Under the increasingly severe situation of the epidemic, it is really strange to say that "spring blossoms" will end when it is over.
Now we continue to blindly draw conclusions about the development trend of the global epidemic. Because the new crown virus is very cunning and rampant, its adaptability and mutation ability cannot be underestimated. In addition, there is no truly fully mature "vaccine" and special drugs, so human beings cannot be blindly optimistic at present.
At present, we must not only establish the determination and courage to defeat the virus, we must not surrender to the new crown virus, but at the same time, we must also stabilize our minds, we must not commit the "illusion" of wishful thinking and the "impatience" of quick decisions, and we must establish the confidence and determination to fight a protracted war, believing that mankind will eventually defeat the new crown virus.
In the article "The Global Epidemic Situation in 2022 Is Still Not Optimistic", Wei Ziming proposed that the epidemic situation in 2022 is still relatively severe, and the relief and improvement of the epidemic may need to wait until 2024. This view remains the case.
(Wei Ziming: Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Medical Reform, Medical Reform Expert, President of Beijing Sanyi Zhiku Hospital Management Development Research Institute)