Experts Did Not Say That Omicron Will End COVID-19
The Claim
Thanks to Omicron, studies reveal the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
News posted on
Emerging story
Websites and media outlets have recently shared alleged news titled: Thanks to Omicron, studies reveal the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Description: The screenshots show the claim published by media outlets.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s team investigated the claim and found it suspicious. The news headline does not reflect the content, which clearly states that epidemiologists only predict that the pandemic’s coming to an end. The news shared under the claimed headline does not mention any details pointing to any studies that say with certainty when the pandemic will end.
Description: The screenshot is taken from the body of the news, and the line reads that epidemiologists only predict that the pandemic will end soon.
According to Bloomberg, media outlets published the alleged headline following the publishing of a study in South Africa arguing that the Omicron variant may be an indicator that the pandemic is coming to an end.
The study was conducted at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in South Africa and included 466 patients recently infected with the Omicron variant of the virus and 3,976 others from previous waves of infection. The study results show that the rate of infection in the current wave is much higher, but those infected only showed milder symptoms compared to previous variants.
Translated by Ahmed N. A. Almassri
