Analysis: Can we end the pandemic?

The possibility for more infectious and deadly variants appears endless – it will take a number of measures and innovations to subdue Covid-19 in future

‘Some have suggested that the coronavirus can have only so many tricks up its sleeve. But in light of how thoroughly the variants have blindsided us, this seems like a naive assumption.’ Picture: Getty

At the start of the year, there was reason to hope that we were beginning to see the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the United States, the daily rate of new cases from the holiday surge began to drop precipitously, and the vaccine rollout accelerated soon thereafter. Although Europe lagged in the early months of 2020, here, too, the tide started to turn by April, as the pace of vaccination finally picked up.

But ...