(Image: AAP/Kelly Barnes)

It took nearly three years, but we could well be witnessing COVID-19’s death rattle.

With more than 98% of people catching just a mild — or even asymptomatic — case of the virus, the current wave of infections could be its last hurrah as vaccines take hold. As expected, COVID has become as lethal as the flu with a case fatality rate of 0.1%. 

Hospitalisations are high, but the overall percentage of cases requiring hospitalisation is low. Of the 341,204 active cases across the country, 5001 — or less than 1.4% — are in hospital. That’s a huge drop since August last year when about 10% of all COVID cases required hospitalisation. 

With more than 95% of the eligible population double-vaccinated, and 70.9% triple-vaccinated, the shots are doing their job in limiting severe disease. 

Of course, it’s not over yet. Hospitals are struggling with record high admissions because of Omicron variants coupled with influenza. NSW hospitals have capped the number of visitors allowed in wards, and in Victoria some elective surgery has been pushed back. And once again there is ambulance ramping and a staffing crisis as thousands of nurses and doctors isolate. 

But infections are expected to peak next month and start going down. We’re back to rarely wearing masks except in hospitals and on public transport. The $750 disaster payment for casual workers infected with the virus who can’t get sick leave will be wound back at the end of September. RATs will no longer be free for concession card holders from the end of October. ​​NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is calling for the seven-day isolation period for those infected to be reduced to five. 

The “new normal” will soon be very, very normal. 

Naturally there are still concerns. Omicron subvariant BA.5 is causing reinfections in those who have recently recovered from similar variants, and there are concerns it could cause monthly reinfections. 

The world will soon need to roll out second-generation vaccines — vaccines specifically designed for newer variants.

We don’t know the full ramifications of long COVID, especially among the reinfected. More than 10,000 Australians have died from the virus, most of them this year.

But for now there’s cause for careful celebration. COVID-19 has been reduced, for the most part, from a deadly, city-stopping, life-changing disease to an annoying, common virus. As the government cautiously said in July last year, it will be treated “just like the flu”.