Yes, but those variants tend to be milder as a lot of researchers also have been telling us and as we have been able to observe with this pandemic as well as past ones. If this were not the case, we’d still be plagued by the spanish flu. Evidently this is not the case and I do not see why thinking this pandemic may soon be over is such a hot take.

What are you talking about? There’s no linear downward path for COVID variants that assumes each new variant will be milder than the last. Researchers can’t predict the future but have warned of COVID variants that aren’t as contagious but have a higher mortality rate like Delta, versus milder variants like Omicron that spread far easier which results in an overall increase of deaths than variants like Delta. The Spanish Flu ended after people stopped dying in high numbers, and people adhered to quarantine rules which played a huge factor in the Spanish Flu ending. People were willing to take precautionary measures because.

This is not true, even though there are far more infections less people die. For instance check the data from the UK: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths Also note that the hospitalization rate is down quite a bit compared to previous waves: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare

Why are you cherry picking a single country? And what amount of deaths per day in a nation would you find acceptable enough to give up on precautionary restrictions? The USA’s seven day average is 2600 deaths per day. You believe that at that current rate, the USA and other nations equally impacted by COVID should remove restrictions? The UK had over 200 people die of COVID today-- you believe people there should just forget restrictions and let vulnerable people die out of convenience?

Lifting restrictions doesn’t magically mean a country has properly addressed COVID. Eliminating mask mandates doesn’t magically prevent the spread of Omicron, it just makes people like you believe that the danger is no more.

Regarding variants getting milder: To me it makes sense and quite some researchers have been explaining it as well: While it’s possible that a more dangerous variant may emerge it is unlikely because evolutionary pressure is going to select the variant that spreads best. If you get really sick or die you have less opportunities to transmit the virus and thus spread it. This is also how the Spanish flu ended: with a mild variant.

Again, people were willing to take precautionary measures during the Spanish Flu. By your logic, we shouldn’t have worn masks at any point in the pandemic and we should have just let the various COVID variants rip through the population. You’re completely misunderstand what most researchers are saying, and instead you’re reading up what “some” researchers are explaining.

I think this is based on the assumption that COVID-19 is going to be dangerous for a few more years. If I am right and this is not the case, Denmark and the UK are right.

You’re quite plainly wrong and you’ve yet to provide a single valid reason as to why we should stop wearing masks. People like you said the exact same thing during the start of the pandemic and two years later, I’m blown away that people like you just double down with your “we’re right around the corner, it’s almost over” mindset.

One more thing I’d like to note is that especially for younger folks COVID-19 never has been that dangerous. In my country there have been more deaths due to traffic accidents for people under 30 only in 2020 than due to COVID-19 from 2019 up to now.

Wrong again. The long-term implications of contracting COVID, even for young, healthy adults, can be devastating. Combine that with repeatedly catching COVID because people like you can’t be bothered to wear a mask, and time will tell just how bad the cumulative effects of repeatedly catching COVID are. Your comparison is ridiculous and I cannot believe I have to explain that car crashes aren’t contagious-- if you drive by a car crash, that has no impact on the likelihood of you getting into a car crash.

Again, let me repeat the one point that you conveniently failed to answer. Do you have any educational background in science or medicine that you’re basing your opinion off of?

First off, I’d encourage a more friendly tone :)

I think ad hominem attacks like questioning my credibility are unwarranted. Ask me questions and attack my arguments.

I think your skepticism is unwarranted and that you have no credibility, which is why you dodged my question about your educational background. Do qualifications not impact credibility, in your mind? I don’t particularly care about sugar coating my words on this because millions of people have already died from COVID, millions more will die of COVID, and devil’s advocate skeptics like you are a contributing factor to these peoples’ deaths.

Don’t reply unless you’re willing to disclose your educational background. I’m sick and tired of people like you acting like you want to get into these discussions, and then cherry picking what points you do and don’t respond to, and drone on about “civility”. If there was a forest fire around us and I told you to open your fucking eyes, and you were concerned about me cursing at you, that’s your problem-- not mine. Frankly, I don’t think a person even has to have a formal educational background in science/medicine to understand the basics of COVID, how it spreads, and why it’s worth using PPE and exercising caution.

You’re inconvenienced by COVID and are responding like a privileged person who takes the health and well-being of yourself and others for granted. This is basic stuff that even kids can understand, and it makes me angry because adults like you are too prideful to understand that perhaps if you’re not an expert, you should listen to what the majority of experts are saying-- not cherry pick “some” researchers’ explanations to support your blatant confirmation bias.

It’s sickening to me that you’d “encourage a more friendly tone” in this discussion, but you can’t be bothered to wear a mask and exercise caution to potentially save a person’s life. I really don’t understand your priorities. Fuck a friendly tone-- you’ll live if I word things a little harshly. How about you wear a mask focus on what really matters in a society instead of this fake ass prioritization of faux civility?