PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A recent article by a pair of Drexel epidemiologists says the virus responsible for COVID-19 will likely become endemic, meaning we may have to deal with it regularly for a long time.
The coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 has spread across the world.
It mutated and evolved — and Dr. Neal Goldstein, one of the authors of the article, told the KYW Newsradio In Depth podcast that the coronavirus is likely here to stay.
"I do think it is something that we will live with for the near future, absolutely, and probably for a long time to come. It's just kind of a seasonally circulating sickness that we have to deal with," he said.
Coronavirus thrives in the winter, like the flu. Goldstein is optimistic about vaccination programs.
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"Because we have this flu program, that is why we can potentially roll the coronavirus program into that and really just have kind of a single seasonal, viral respiratory shot and surveillance program that deals with both illnesses," he said.
Like other viruses such as HIV or Zika, Goldstein said doctors are finding treatments for COVID-19 that work.
"We're seeing it progress into something that is manageable that we do know a little something about," he said.
"I think that the state of the science and the state of public health, and the state of clinical medicine has turned those conditions into very manageable conditions that we can deal with," Goldstein added, "and that's kind of where we're seeing the progression of SARS-CoV-2 here."