Scientists: Coronavirus Likely to Return Annually

The coronavirus is likely here to stay – scientists say, with the consensus being that it’ll return annually in a similar fashion to the flu. 

Coronavirus Waves to Hit Yearly 

Chinese scientists told reporters in Beijing on Monday that the coronavirus is likely to return annually in waves, similar to the flu. The main reason being asymptomatic carriers – infected people who show no obvious symptoms, making transmission nearly impossible to fully contain. 

Unlike its cousin SARS, not all COVID-19 patients fall ill, with China discovering more and more cases of asymptomatic patients daily despite the outbreak currently being under control in the country. 

“This is very likely to be an epidemic that co-exists with humans for a long time, becomes seasonal and is sustained within human bodies,” Jin Qi, director of the Institute of Pathogen Biology at China’s Academy of Medical Sciences, said. 

Top researchers and governments worldwide are beginning to reach a consensus that the virus will not be eliminated fully, despite the strict lockdowns that have resulted in millions of job losses and businesses going bankrupt due to the economic halt. Some experts believe that the virus should be allowed to spread in a controlled manner, while others like Sweden disapprove of the tight regulations. 

So far, more than 3 million have been infected by the coronavirus, with over 210,000 deaths globally. The number is likely to continue rising slowly, despite President Trump’s and others’ hope of the summer heat killing the virus. 

While COVID-19 is sensitive to heat, Peking University First Hospital’s head of the infectious diseases department Wang Guiqiang said that that only happens when it’s exposed “to 56 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes,” making the chance of cases going down during summer incredibly small.