COVID-19: In the midst of a possible third wave of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) has made a major statement about the pandemic situation in India. According to WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Viswanathan, the Coronavirus here can enter the 'Endemic Stage'.


In the pandemic stage, the virus dominates engulfs a large population. The Endemic Stage occurs when a large section of the population becomes immune to a disease. Simply put, Endemic is the stage when a population learns to live with the virus. 


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So far many countries in the world have asked their citizens to learn to live with the virus. 


What is the difference between Endemic, Epidemic, and Pandemic? 


Infectious diseases are transmitted through bacteria or viruses. They have always been present in our midst. We can divide any infectious disease into three stages:



  • The Endemic Stage is the stage when reached when a large section of the population becomes immune to a disease.  

  • The Epidemic stage is when infectious disease engulfs many people at the same time and spreads to one or more communities.

  • The Pandemic stage, when an epidemic disease is transmitted globally. 


According to experts, "COVID will reach the Endemic Stage in the next 12 to 24 months. After that, it will no longer be the figure that has to be monitored daily". All the infectious diseases that have occurred in the last decades have continued to exist among us in some form or the other. Malaria, TB, Leprosy, and Measles are some of the diseases that have remained among us for a long time.