May 14, 2020
The Virus May Never Go Away.
Covid-19 might be here to stay just like HIV.
The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 could become an endemic like HIV, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday (13th May 2020). WHO called for a “massive effort” to counter it and people should not focus on the length of the virus.
“I think there are no promises in this and there are no dates. This disease may settle into a long problem, or it may not be.”
The nature of the virus is less like SARS but more like . It is less deadly but spreads incredibly fast. Therefore, the death toll of the coronavirus has surpassed the death toll of SARS, solely due to the widespread infectious nature of the virus. This is critical.
If the virus would have been more lethal, it would have killed people quickly and dampen the spread of the virus. However, due to the evasiveness of the virus, the virus could remain viral or exist as part of our population for some time.
A few countries have effectively “defeated” the virus and are now more cautious of imported cases. These countries are Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, China (including Hong Kong) and New Zealand. Even when the virus is gone, there is no guarantee that the virus does not exist amongst us or the animals such as bats. However, the situation can turn the other way too; a future where all countries defeated the virus and we lead a life free of the coronavirus.
We have to be prepared for the long-term. The coronavirus situation in the United States and Europe is far from contained. Until we can get a vaccine successfully developed, it is most likely that the coronavirus will stay with us for the near-term.
