WASHINGTON (AP) – Will the coronavirus ever go away?
No one knows for sure. Scientists think that the virus that causes COVID-19 may have been with us for decades or more, but that does not mean that it will pose the same threat.
The virus originated at the end of 2019 and it is difficult to predict how it will act in the long run. But many experts believe that the disease is likely to ease from a crisis to a nuisance like colds.
This would happen if people build up immunity over time through infection or vaccination. Other viruses have followed a similar path.
The flu pandemic in 1918 may also provide clues as to the course of COVID-19.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that a third of the world’s population has become infected with the virus, which originated in birds. Eventually, after infected people died or developed immunity, the virus quickly stopped spreading. It later mutated into a less virulent form, which experts say continues to spread seasonally.
However, the emergence of new COVID-19 variants could complicate the picture if future virus mutations cause worse diseases or evade vaccines.
It is unlikely that the virus will ever be able to be completely eradicated, given the possibility that humans may re-infect after being ill or vaccinated.
The only virus that has ever been eradicated from the human population is smallpox. This is because people develop lasting immunity to that virus after becoming ill or vaccinated.
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The AP answers your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit it to: [email protected].
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