From Pandemic to Endemic, Level of Herd Immunity is Key

The pandemic has become so much a part of our lives that the word no longer strikes fear but rather a sense of acceptance—an acceptance that this will be part of our lives. But what happens when the COVID-19 virus becomes the norm? Prof Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman (in the photo above), Pro Vice Chancellor of Research, International Medical University (IMU) and Director of the Institute for Research, Development, and Innovation (IRDI), talks about how we are evolving from a pandemic to an endemic stage. According to Prof Lokman, when COVID-19 becomes endemic, the infection will not go away and will continue to be transmitted. Tansitioning from a pandemic to an endemic stage is about the community seeing a growing number of people who are immune to the virus, either through surviving natural infection or through vaccinations. Article is in Mandarin. Learn more about this at From Pandemic to Endemic, Level of Herd Immunity is Key (Sin Chew, 26 November 2021).