We're headed for light at the end of a two-year Covid tunnel, it appears. Cautious optimism about a less intense phase of the pandemic is being voiced in this country and abroad. As this winter’s Omicron variant surge eases and more American adults and students over age 5 are vaccinated, “we are moving toward a time when Covid isn't a crisis, but is something we can protect against and treat," White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients said last week. "The president and our Covid team are actively planning for this future." A growing number of states are moving to drop mask mandates, capacity limits and other rules.

California is the first state to formally shift to an "endemic" approach to the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom last week ended indoor mask requirements for vaccinated people and announced an emphasis on prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks rather than business and school shutdowns.

Americans everywhere are ready for a more normal existence, recent surveys show. Fears of the virus apparently have been outweighed by mounting frustration with the inconveniences of pandemic precautions and restrictions. Three-quarters of adults described themselves as tired or frustrated with the pandemic in a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey. In a poll by Monmouth University of New Jersey, 70 percent of Americans agreed with this statement: "It's time we accept Covid is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives."

The word "endemic" refers to a virus that becomes manageable as immunity builds. With endemic diseases, such as the flu, "we have an expected and anticipated number of cases over a time period in a geographic region," says Dr. Ebere Okereke, a public health adviser in London. England and Ireland have drastically loosened restrictions on public life. "Covid is not going away. It's going to be with us for many, many years, perhaps forever, and we have to learn to live with it," says Health Minister Sajid Javid of the United Kingdom. Denmark lifted all of its orders this month and said Covid "will no longer be categorized as dangerous to society." However, the World Health Organization in Geneva says it's too soon to treat Covid as an endemic disease, stressing that the evolution of the virus is uncertain and that it's still spreading in some areas.

California governor says: "We are moving past the crisis phase into a phase where we will work to live with this virus." – Gavin Newsom

World Health Organization says: "We still have a huge amount of uncertainty and a virus that is evolving quite quickly, imposing new challenges. We are certainly not at the point where we are able to call it endemic." – Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer for Europe

Columnist writes: "The fact that we can see the end — or, at least, what we hope will be the end — makes us that much more eager to rush to embrace it. Future variants will determine whether the end really is near." – John M. Barry, The Washington Post