Kashmiri doctor's body says COVID-19 likely to stay with us forever

“COVID-19 pandemic would end at some point, but the virus will continue to circulate in the human population,” DAK President and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan said.

“We will probably be living with this virus for rest of our lives. But the impact of the virus in terms of deaths, illness and the need for social isolation will lessen,” he said.

The DAK president said that the cases will wax and wane over time, adding the outbreaks will pop up here and there. “One of the reasons to believe that COVID-19 will be around forever is that the virus is constantly changing and adapting to challenges,” he said.

Dr Hassan said the existence of animal reservoirs that can keep re-infecting humans is another reason why virus is not going to go away. “Overtime we may end up with a situation similar to the flu or common cold. Like flu, COVID-19 could eventually become a seasonal illness,” he said.

He said the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic could offer a clue about the course of Covid-19. “The H1N1 pandemic was over in about 16 months, but the virus did not disappear. Instead it has turned into a seasonal flu strain that circulates all years, and peaks during winter,” he said.

“COVID-19 could ultimately become another seasonal respiratory virus, like the four other coronaviruses that cause a sizeable proportion of common colds. Coronavirus is still in a pandemic phase because infections continue to increase across the globe and many people are still susceptible,” he said.

He said vaccination is critical to end the pandemic phase of the virus. “When enough people will get vaccination against the virus, and that too quickly we may see an end to the pandemic soon. Even with vaccination, virus is going to stay around and cause smaller outbreaks, much like seasonal flu. And, we may need booster shots of Covid-19 vaccine on regular basis to maintain immunization over time,” Dr Hassan added.