The COVID-19 pandemic will likely become an endemic virus, Canada’s chief public health officer said at a parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday, as MPs question the government’s response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. “I think many experts believe that so-called herd immunity may not be achievable with this virus because it undergoes constant evolution. So what you’re looking at is this endemic state where people will get reinfected over time as immunity wanes,” Dr. Theresa Tam said at the House of Commons’ health committee meeting. “It will also be determined by the appearance of variants that may invade the immune system as well. So I think that the reality is going to be more like an endemic virus,” she said. Tam said there is a “global consensus” that Omicron causes less severe illnesses than its predecessor the Delta variant, but added that due to Omicron’s higher transmission rate, the few …