Published 13:42 IST, May 28th 2020
Coronavirus may never go away even with a vaccine, warn experts
US infectious disease researcher Michael Osterholm has said that eventually, everyone would know someone who is either infected by the COVID or died from it.
- World News
- 2 min read
With coronavirus raging havoc across the world and showing no sign of a slow down, experts fear that the virus may never go away even after a vaccine is developed. According to reports, a leading US infectious disease researcher Michael T. Osterholm has said that eventually, everyone would know someone who is either infected by the disease or died has from it. Michael T. Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy told the press that the virus may stay here forever.
Earlier this month, Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO also warned the world on a similar line saying that the pandemic may become another endemic that may never go away. Dr. Ryan compared the virus with HIV saying that it may become a part of our communities and may stay here forever. Ryan also warned that it will be impossible for anyone to predict when or if this disease will disappear.
COVID-19 outbreak
The coronavirus pandemic has infected over 5.6 million people worldwide and has claimed more than 3,55,000 lives to date, according to figures by Johns Hopkins University. The United States is currently the worst affected nation in the world with over 1.6 million cases and more than 1,00,000 deaths. The United States on May 26 became the first country in the world to surpass the 1,00,000 threshold in terms of the number of deaths that occurred due to COVID-19.
Health experts believe that the virus originated from a wet market in China's Wuhan city, where exotic animals were reportedly being traded illegally. Although, China has successfully managed to flatten its COVID-19 curve if data by the Communist state is to be believed. Countries are racing to develop a potential vaccine for the disease, including the United States, China, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, who have all moved to the second phase of trials.
Updated 13:43 IST, May 28th 2020