It’s been almost two years since Covid first began to spread around the world, yet despite efforts to roll out vaccines and control the virus, most countries are still living in the grips of the pandemic. Spain is now planning to change this though, and it’s emerged that the country is considering reclassifying the disease as an “endemic” rather than a “pandemic.” The aim is to see the country return as close to normal as possible, meaning everyone would live with Covid as they do other diseases rather than seeing it as a deadly disease that needs to be controlled at all costs.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez recently gave a news conference on the topic along with Germany’s Chancellor, where he revealed his intentions to manage Covid differently.
What the reclassification means
Part of the justification behind this change is that the Covid fatality rate in Spain now hovers around the 1% mark, which is significantly lower than what we observed at the heights of the pandemic (around 13%).
Since the virus no longer represents such a serious threat to the company, the government believes it’s reasonable to introduce policies that are in line with this new threat level.
As a result, health professionals would approach the virus in the same way they treat influenza and other contagious and moderately harmful viruses that the world has accepted will stay with us for the foreseeable future.
Reaction
Not everyone is supportive of Spain’s decision, and health authorities are at the forefront of those speaking out against the plans. A researcher from Barcelona Institute for Global Health has criticized politicians for trying to secure a political win rather than looking out for the nation’s health.
After living in the shadow of the pandemic for so long, Spain’s population (along with the rest of the world) is keen to see the government take action for how they can finally move out of it. And now, with 90% of eligible Spaniards vaccinated, this seems like the only logical next step without meeting backlash.
However, other European Union countries are likely to be against the move, especially France and Germany.
