The current Omicron wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic could mark the beginning of the end of the global pandemic, leading the virus to become endemic, a senior World Health Organization official said Monday.

Speaking with Radio 103FM Monday morning, WHO regional emergency director Dorit Nitzan expressed optimism that the massive wave of infections during the Omicron wave could help achieve herd immunity, echoing similar statements by another senior WHO official a day earlier.

“We’re seeing today that the Omicron is very transmissible, and is pushing aside Delta and the other variants, while causing milder illness in vaccinated people and far fewer seriously ill cases,” said Nitzan.

“So, the Omicron is encountering a vaccinated population, which is really good, and it’s learned how to live with is more in peace. Let’s enjoy this window.”

“We’re hoping to achieve an endemic situation, where the world population isn’t naïve to the coronavirus; it encounters mostly immune people and we’ll learn to live with the Omicron and continue on with our lives.”

“We’re seeing a ray of light, we’re moving forward, possibly towards the end.”

Since the variant’s discovery in South Africa last November, doctors have reported low rates of serious illness with the Omicron strain, even in largely unvaccinated populations. South Africa, where just three-quarters of the population is fully vaccinated, recorded few new serious cases and no significant rise in deaths during the Omicron wave late last year, despite the variant’s rapid spread.

On Sunday, Hans Kluge, director of the World Health Organization’s European division, told AFP that Europe may now be moving towards a “pandemic endgame”, with as many as 60% of Europeans potentially becoming infected with Omicron by March.

"It's plausible that the region is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame," Kluge said.