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As the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in this fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ we should ask the question: What lies ahead?

It will be some years before the World Health Organization will declare that the pandemic has come to an end. In sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, the U.K., the U.S. and other countries with high levels of vaccination, the virus is becoming endemic.

There are more variants occurring as this virus spreads. What we do not know is whether after Omicron there will be a variant that causes a significant impact on the health of the population — hospitalizations and deaths.

However, as has been predicted for at least 20 years, there may be other virus infections that will appear and cause pandemics. The 2000 book Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health by Laurie Garrett and others had predicted this.

A 2021 book Code Breaker by Walter Issacson describes how the CRISPR technology (for which Jennifer Doudna received the Nobel Prize for its development) is a game-changer for science. CRISPR is a simple and adaptable gene-editing technology that has been used to develop tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and for the development of vaccines.

There are many viruses that cause the “common cold.” The most prevalent are influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, parainfluenza viruses and at least three other corona viruses. Most have “cold like” symptoms in their early stages.

Potentially, using the CRISPR technology, tests and vaccines can be developed for these viruses (as well as other conditions such as HIV, the virus that causes AIDS).

How much testing of the population for respiratory viruses makes sense in the future? There must be some benefit from testing for the health of the individual and the limitation of spread of a serious disease to others but not so much as to limit the normal social and economic activities of society.

Public demand for rapid testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus is understandable, particularly with the public anxiety resulting from worldwide media reports seen nightly on television.

However, as this fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic diminishes in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and hospitals are less busy (they always are at this time of year due to seasonal influenza) and the death rate from COVID-19 continues to be low, there will be less justification for rapid testing.

Reducing testing does not mean that we should not continue to pay attention to preventing the spread of respiratory viruses by appropriate mask-wearing, social distancing, adequate ventilation and hand-washing. These measures will always reduce the spread of respiratory viruses.

In response to COVID here in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, we are fortunate to have a very well organized public health infrastructure.

This infrastructure consists of a world class sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Centre for Disease Control, a Public Health Act that was strengthened after SARS, 17 years ago, health authorities responsible for coordinating hospital care, community care and public health services, a pandemic influenza plan developed in 2009 that was adapted for COVID-19, public health legislation (the Community Care and Assisted Living Act) that requires regular inspections of most care homes, and a very experienced and capable provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.

This kind of infrastructure developed incrementally over the past 30 years. Other governments can learn from sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½’s experience.

The recent report from Quebec by Joanne Castonguay demonstrates what happens if there is not a well-developed public health infrastructure. Quebec has had 2.9 times the deaths from COVID-19 per capita compared with sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

The U.K. and the U.S. have had five times the number of deaths per capita compared with sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Our neighbour Washington state has had 2.7 times the deaths as sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Of course, Australia at 0.3 and New Zealand at 0.02 have done exceptionally well. Time will tell how this will play out as the Omicron variant spreads in those countries. With high levels of vaccination, many deaths will be prevented.

Nova Scotia has done better than sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ with one-third of the deaths per capita.

As of Feb. 15, 90 per cent of British Columbians greater than 12 years old have had two doses of the COVID jab.

sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ may not have been as successful as New Zealand, ­Australia and China in reducing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its health impacts. However, sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ with its well developed public health infrastructure has done well compared with many other jurisdictions and is well prepared to address infectious disease epidemics in the future.