Abstract

The emergence of the Sars-CoV-2 Omicron variant(s) was a tipping point which led from the 2020/2021 Covid-19 pandemic to a surprisingly early endemic situation. Contrary to what is discussed by some virologists, a replacement of Sars-CoV-2 Omicron by another variant that produces more clinically problematic courses is only a theoretical possibility. In real life this will not happen. Instead Omicron seems to be even less lethal than the endemic hCoVs we have been knowing for decades. Therefore, now is the time to develop entirely new vaccines, not only against the Sars-CoV-2 virus but also to protect vulnerable populations against the human coronaviruses OC43, HKU1, 229E, and NL63. These coronaviruses are, as of early 2022, a greater public health threat than the Sars-CoV-2 virus with its Omicron variants.