Since the early days of the ongoing pandemic, the major question asked by every other person is regarding the end of the global health crisis. Ever since all countries have imposed lockdowns and restrictions, everyday life has changed dramatically for the entire population with many people now having increased difficulties in all spheres of their lives.
Not only has the virus affected the global economy, raised unemployment rates, and strained healthcare systems but has also paved the way for an incoming mental health epidemic which may last even longer than the current health crisis.
According to experts, mental recovery from epidemics such as the one going on right now can take years and even decades. Therefore, the challenges are not likely to end when the virus is controlled but are still going to remain and instead cause new problems.
In addition, the vast majority should also know that control over virus transmission rates does not actually mean that the infection will be eradicated and never diagnosed again. Just like all other pathogens, the novel SARS-CoV-2 will survive and continue to affect people even after the number of new cases has declined significantly.
A few months back, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, had shared similar views regarding the coronavirus infection. Dr. Fauci specifically said that the virus cannot be completely eradicated given its highly contagious nature.
The current medical evidence suggests that coronavirus primarily spreads through airborne transmission after being released via sneezing, coughing, or doing other activities such as talking loudly or singing. Other ways of spread also include physical contact with an infected person or touching an infected surface.
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In a few recent cases, doctors have also reported transplacental transmission of the virus after newborn babies tested positive for the coronavirus infection right after birth. Furthermore, there are also a lot of mystery cases that suggest that there can also be other ways coronavirus can be transmitted and much more investigation is required.
This means that Dr. Fauci is indeed correct and the highly contagious nature of the virus can help it survive forever. Generally, the medical community has also stated that pathogens are unlikely to be eradicated completely.
An examination of pandemics occurring throughout history shows that many of the pathogens that were responsible for those pandemics exist even today. For instance, cases of the H1N1 flu, which caused the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918-19, are still present today.
A much older infection that caused millions of deaths, specifically in the fourteenth century, also known as the Black Death or Plague also exists today. The bacteria Yersinia pestis, which causes plague, existed for centuries and caused epidemics multiple times.
Taking into account the scientific and historical evidence, experts suggest that infections, whether they are caused by bacteria or viruses, tend to remain even if health crises caused by them are controlled gradually. This also means that the coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 is also likely to survive and continue to cause epidemics in the future as well.