We will get out of this pandemic, says Maria Van Kerkhove, the COVID-19 Technical Lead of the World Health Organization (WHO). The question is how fast -- and if we'll take what we've learned from the past two years and apply it to the next emerging pathogen. In conversation with TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, Van Kerkhove provides insights on the Omicron variant, details a pandemic preparedness protocol under development at WHO and shares what we all can do to bring the pandemic to a speedy end. "Remain vigilant," Van Kerkhove says. "Everything you do ... will either get us closer to ending this pandemic -- or it will prolong it." (This conversation was recorded on December 3, 2021.)

Maria Van Kerkhove: How to end the pandemic -- and prepare for the next

How to end the pandemic -- and prepare for the next

Despite high hopes for ending COVID-19, Omicron's emergence underscores the pandemic's persistent threat and our collective unpreparedness.

The pandemic treaty, a beacon of hope, aims for a united global front in pandemic preparedness, moving beyond words to binding commitments.

Omicron's mutations may reduce vaccine efficacy, highlighting the global need for vaccine equity and prepared pandemic response.