GOING by what Bill Gates said this week, Covid-19 should be fading sometime in 2022.

       If true, the joy of going back to normal will far outweigh the two gruelling years of intense disruption, fear, social distancing and working-from-home (WFH).

       The pandemic has disrupted our lives in so many ways that we were forced to rethink our purpose and re-evaluate what is important. Almost everything is different from two years ago as we enter year three of the pandemic.

       All we want is normality again. But is that going to happen?

       Gates, the founder of Microsoft, in a Bloomberg report said the “acute phase of the pandemic will come to a close sometime in 2022.’’

       He believes the “world is better prepared to tackle potentially bad variants than at any other point in the pandemic so far. Communities will still see occasional outbreaks, but new drugs will be available that could take care of most cases and hospitals will be able to handle the rest.’’

       Positivism is surely what is much needed. But Omicron has emerged and is causing havoc across the globe. It has been detected in over 50 countries.

       “The emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant has reminded us of the uncertainties which remain around the global pandemic,’’ Schroders says in a report.

       Gates, the founder of Microsoft, in a Bloomberg report said the “acute phase of the pandemic will come to a close sometime in 2022.’’ He believes the “world is better prepared to tackle potentially bad variants than at any other point in the pandemic so far.

       The highly mutated strain caused countries across the globe into lockdowns and reimposed border closures.

       Scientists are still struggling to find out more about this new variant, its symptoms, illness and whether it is more transmissible than the Delta variant.

       If indeed it is more mutative than Delta, its existence will rock global growth as more lockdowns and controls are imposed and that will slow down economic activities.

       But the virus will be a feature, going forward – it is about how lethal it will be.

       Oxford University professor of vaccinology Sarah Gilbert said that future pandemics could be even more lethal than Covid-19, BBC reported.

       She said lessons learnt from the outbreak must not be squandered and the world should ensure it is prepared for the next pandemic.

       There have been over 5.26 million deaths globally with over 266 million Covid-19 cases confirmed thus far.

       Vaccinations are ongoing worldwide. In Malaysia, over 52 million doses have been given to over 25 million people or 78% of the population. Reliance is on the power of jabs and keeping up with the standard operating procedure to protect ourselves, our families and communities.

       Despite all the fears, Schroders says 2022 is expected to be another good year for growth as the global economy continues its recovery.MIDF Research believes the economic recovery will not be derailed by the occurrences of any events (such as new variant, incessant inflationary pressures, pullback in China’s property market and 15th general elections) either in isolation or in combination.

       However, it says the possibility of these events to turn out worse than expected cannot be discounted and there is a need to be ever vigilant of the possible downside risks next year.

       Digitalisation will remain a mainstay and those companies that make their offerings and payment methods simple and safe will win over complexities.

       WFH was such a hassle in the early days of the pandemic but experts believe hybrid working will become a central model as it offers flexibility for both employees and employers.

       Consumers will also be paying more attention to companies that adopt ethical practices and as the economy picks up, there will be more job openings. Contract employment will be favoured over full-time employment.

       Schroders says human capital management has been thrown into relief by the pandemic, for example in relation to policies on WFH, health, safety and well being within the workforce. Much attention will be paid to the gig economy and non-traditional work patterns that have increased in recent years.

       Whatever the predictions, a re-check of your goals for 2022 amid the ongoing pandemic is necessary, as having enough funds to withstand a prolonging pandemic is key since some experts believe the “coronavirus will never leave us, we just need to find new ways to live with it.’’