Could the COVID-19 pandemic end in 2023?

The World Health Organization says it's hopeful that it will be able to officially declare an end to the COVID-19 pandemic this year. But it's warning that there's still a danger of a new, more deadly variant emerging. Let's look at where we are after three years of the pandemic.
Since the first outbreak in China at the end of 2019, nearly 6.7 Million people have died of COVID-19. And even now, the virus still claims more than 1,500 lives every day, worldwide. But that's way down on earlier figures.
Vaccinations largely protect people against severe disease, but the WHO says access to effective vaccines is still very unequal.
In many parts of the world, COVID restrictions have been eased, as people learn to live with the virus rather than eliminate it.