The COVID-19 variant Omicron appears to have peaked in parts of the Northeast, leaving questions about what that means for the pandemic and all of us.
As this strain of virus continues to spread, people have questions.
Experts weigh in on what they see happening with the pandemic.
Related: Americans will need annual COVID-19 booster shots, but will it end the pandemic?
What has the Omicron wave done so far with COVID-19?
Bill Gates predicts that the variant’s surge won’t last forever.
Gates says that this surge will challenge health systems and that the most severe cases are people who are unvaccinated.
It is thought that once Omicron makes its way through a country, the rest of the year should see far fewer cases, and can then be treated more like seasonal flu.
You can read what he has to say here.
Related: Omicron prompts COVID-19 testing requirement at New York State prisons
Why the variant could end the COVID-19 pandemic
Scientists and experts have ideas that align with Gates prediction.
The thought is that the Omicron variant will provide enough immunity to make it more endemic, according to CNBC.
Although there is hope that Omicron will turn the pandemic, endemic something similar has played out before.
When the Delta variant surged, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, thought that the COVID-19 pandemic would turn endemic.
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