Could It Be A Happy New Year? Former FDA Official Says COVID Over In US By January 2022

The U.S. could see the end of the COVID pandemic by early January 2022, according to the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb made the announcement on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday, saying that by the time President Joe Biden’s workplace vaccine mandates take effect on Jan. 4, the COVID pandemic in the U.S. could be over.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandate requires companies with at least 100 workers to have their employees fully vaccinated by Jan. 4 or undergo regular COVID testing.

Gottlieb, who also sits on the board at COVID vaccine maker Pfizer, told “Squawk Box,” “These mandates that are going to be put in place by Jan. 4 really are coming on the tail end of this pandemic.

“By Jan. 4, this pandemic may well be over, at least as it relates to the United States after we get through this Delta wave of infection. And we’ll be in a more endemic phase of this virus,” he added.

Gottlieb is not the only one who has predicted the end of the pandemic in recent months.

COVID vaccine maker Moderna’s Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel told Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung in September that he sees the pandemic ending in a year, as vaccine production increases to the point where there is enough to ensure global supplies.

When Neue Zuercher Zeitung asked Bancel exactly when he thought the pandemic would be over, he said, “As of today, in a year, I assume.”

He continued by saying, “If you look at the industry-wide expansion of production capacities over the past six months, enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this Earth can be vaccinated.”

Bancel is not alone in his prediction as Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla told ABC’s “This Week” in late September that he sees life returning to normal by 2022, despite new COVID-19 variants emerging.

“I agree that within a year I think we will be able to come back to normal life. I don't think this means that variants will not continue coming, and I don't think this means we should be able to live our lives without having vaccinations," Bourla told the news outlet.

Over 193.2 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This accounts for 58.2% of the U.S. population.