The BOTTOM LINE: Some trends point to a transition from pandemic to endemic (infection at a low level in the community). However, it is still important for myeloma patients to continue preventative measures that include the use of masks, vaccination, and boosters.
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This week's "Ask Dr. Durie" comes from many patients, it comes from almost everyone. When will the pandemic end? Is this COVID-19 pandemic going to end soon?
Unfortunately, the answer to that question remains unclear. At this exact moment, there are, however, some promising trends that many of you have heard of being discussed in the news.
We're encouraged by the fact that this last major omicron surge has gone up very rapidly but is starting to come down equally fast. And so, levels of omicron infection are dropping in many parts of the country right now.
If we look to South Africa, where the omicron variant originated, what has happened in those eight weeks? Well, the follow-up news from South Africa is where this ray of hope comes from because in South Africa, the level of infection has dropped down to background levels — around one percent community levels and life has returned to normal.
In South Africa, restaurants are open and bustling, traffic is jammed, and so there's a feeling that when you have this omicron infection there is a level of community immunity that can provide a degree of safety.
However, at the same time, most experts agree that we need to be alert about new variants emerging. These last few days we've made note that a new stealth variant has emerged and been detected particularly in Denmark and in the United Kingdom, where this stealth variant has the name BA.2. And so, we need to be alert that these new variants could continue to pop up and could be the source of new surges of infection.
And so, the BOTTOM LINE is that we are hopeful that this pandemic can be shifting from a high community level of infection to what is called an endemic level, and this is where the infection level is low around one percent in the community or less. Where we could return much more fully to a normal day-to-day life. But for now, I'm afraid that we do need to be very much focused on the prevention measures that we've been using. We need to be sure to be vaccinated, to have that third shot which is a booster.
For myeloma patients, you can also consider after five months an additional shot which would be the fifth shot to keep the boosting of the antibody levels. Another new alternative is to use the EVUSHELD™ antibody intramuscular injection to boost or increase the antibodies in your blood. The additional thing which is especially important for myeloma patients to prevent infection in the community is to wear their masks in all situations of risk and just continue to be cautious in their daily activities for the time being.
Dr. Brian G.M. Durie (1942-2025) was the co-founder of the IMF. He was a Professor of Medicine, Hematologist/Oncologist, and Honoree MD at the University of Brussels.
