(WQOW) – As the race against the virus continues, some health officials believe the pandemic will eventually become endemic, which is found only among certain populations.
Mayo Clinic doctors say the likelihood of the virus being completely eliminated is low, especially as variants like those found in the UK and South Africa continue to emerge. Experts say that because not everyone plans to be vaccinated or wear masks, the virus may never really go away, even if the country achieves collective, flu-like immunity.
“It’s not like we’re going to develop collective immunity and eliminate this virus, I think that’s the least of the possibilities,” said Dr. Gregory Poland of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic. “The flu kills tens of thousands of lives every year in the United States, but we accept that and I think we can reach that level with this virus.”
In the near future, experts also believe that another increase in COVID-19 cases may occur soon, if variants become the dominant strain of the virus in the United States, as vaccines spread slowly and people get tired. to wear masks and get tested. Doctors say the sudden increase can simply be prevented if everyone continues to wear masks and is vaccinated.
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