According to a recent study, the coronavirus could become as harmless as the common cold. After several infections, the immune system will become stronger and transform the coronavirus into a mild illness.
The coronavirus, a future cold?
According to a new study, published in the journal Science, SARS-CoV-2 could become a common cold in the future, in particular thanks to immunity and vaccines. As the population will be vaccinated and become immune to Covid, the disease will become mild. “ The time it will take to reach this stage depends on how quickly one achieves this group immunity. The sooner a majority of people have been infected or vaccinated, the sooner we will reach this endemic stage. Reveals Jennie Lavine, post-doctoral fellow at Emory University in Atlanta and lead author of the study.
Six other viruses were analyzed (4 cold viruses, SARS and MERS) by researchers, who indicated that this new coronavirus behaves in the same way as the previous ones when they started. Children, less affected by SARS-CoV-2, will face re-infections which will strengthen immunity. The immune system will then be strong enough for the disease to lose its dangerousness. The Covid-19, which has become benign, will remain contagious but will no longer lead to multiple deaths.
Adaptation of health systems
” Our health systems will have to adapt to hold up in the long term, because the Covid will be an additional disease to be taken care of. The effects of the coronavirus will be felt for decades to come »Declared Romulus Breban, researcher in the epidemiology of emerging diseases unit at the Institut Pasteur.
He studied the coronavirus, comparing it with the flu, which emerged during the flu epidemic: “ We live with this seasonal disease and it is no longer treated as a disease of primary importance, although it still kills a lot. We manage to contain epidemics because we have put in place a vaccination strategy and there are surveillance structures at the international level »He explains.
