Will COVID Ever End? Health Officials Say It Is ‘Here To Stay’

As COVID-19 cases spike to levels not seen since January and word of the new "mu" variant heightens pandemic worries, global health officials say that COVID may be “here to stay.”

“I think this virus is here to stay with us and it will evolve like influenza pandemic viruses, it will evolve to become one of the other viruses that affects us,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program.

Ryan is not the first health official to warn of a prolonged pandemic. White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci also said that COVID may never be completely eliminated, even as people get vaccinated.

One of the reasons for COVID’s resistance to vaccines is its varied number of mutations, like the Delta and mu strains, which tend to weaken protection provided by vaccination or previous infection.

Though the thought of COVID-19’s eternal presence may be less than reassuring, it is not the only virus the world has not been able to completely fight off. These viruses, known as endemic diseases, are more resistant to eradication efforts and they eventually become consistently present in certain regions. Current endemic diseases include chickenpox, HIV and malaria.

“People have said we’re going to eliminate or eradicate the virus,” Ryan said. “No we’re not, very, very unlikely.”

Though the elimination of COVID-19 becomes less likely, getting vaccinated remains extremely important as it ensures long-term safety and protection from more severe infections, hospitalizations and death.