Entering third year of pandemic, still with hope and anticipation

ON the cusp of the new year, the Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues its relentless spread, with the United States and several European countries reporting record highs - 2 years into what has sometimes felt like an interminable pandemic.

Yet this has not quite managed to snuff out the hope and anticipation that accompanies every change of the year.

This might be partly because the parameters of hope have changed. At some point, the discourse shifted from the idea of a "post-Covid" world to that of living with Covid-19; from eradicating the virus to mitigating its spread and effects.