What if Covid-19 lasts...

10 years from now? Will it ever go away? What would you do if Covid-19 lasts another 10 Years?

It will be around for decades at least, but it won't always be like this. Eventually, we'll develop a vaccine, and some sort of surveillance system to look out for new strains like we have with influenza, and we'll just learn to live with the virus.

Epidemics and pandemics have been a regular occurrence over the past 2,500 years at least; the only differences have been the nature of the diseases and our responses to them. This is not a fundamentally unusual or extraordinary event, and was always inevitable.

Are you talking about the effect its having on society or the virus itself?

@plageus900: the virus itself

If there is no vaccine, I guess we will all live a new normal.

Everyone will wear facemasks outdoors or in crowded places, there will be quarantines when you leave one region to the next. Everyone will get tested frequently. Some countries may ban visitors from countries that have high levels of the virus.

Look at places like Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea are good examples of how society is behaving. These three regions did not shut down, instead, they became very diligent.

There are many people who work in Macau but live in Mainland China, they cross the border twice daily. These workers now have to be tested once a week.

But I guess even if there is no vaccine, there could be an antibody test that works within a minute, that will make a difference.

Probably be an endemic like the common cold, hopefully with more mild symptoms.

Corona viruses make up ~30% of the common cold virus but this is SARS 2.0 we're are talking about.

Been wondering that myself, tbh; will it ever go away?

At what point do we simply accept that COVID-19 is just another critter like the flu or food poisoning?

Will face masks be standard? Or can we do what other countries do and just encourage people to wear one when they are sick.

hearing jeff bezos announce amazon will invest all $4billion of their q2 profits into creating the first vaccinated supply chain suggests this thing will not be going away any time soon

Personally, I think we'll get the Covid-19 situation under control at some time in the future. We may not even need a vaccine if the virus dies out over the summer, though I'll be the first to admit that's most likely wistful thinking.

Groups of anti vaxxers can keep it as a looming health threat for years even with a vaccine.

Nobody knows at this point. There's indication that immunity isn't forming like it normally would (people are reportedly getting infected a second time), which if true, could mean it'll be around indefinitely. Which in the meantime will make vaccine development either difficult or impossible, and it's also evolving into several different strains at a high speed.

Social distancing and economic lockdowns are going to be the "new normal" for the next 5-10 years at least, especially in a capitalist system, where any vaccines that are developed, won't be given away to everyone, but commoditized and sold to the highest bidders, while those unable to afford them go on dying and infecting more people repeating the process over and over again.

I can tell you this much though, I'm never shaking anyone's hand ever again.

https://www.thecut.com/2020/03/69-of-men-dont-wash-their-hands-after-using-the-bathroom.html

Could be true in some countries. The cost of these lockdowns costs more than providing a vaccine to everyone.

I must ask two things:

1.) Summer is upon us in one month and now into late spring the weather is very nice. Do you honestly believe people will continue with the b.s. 6ft distance between persons, wearing masks and all around staying away from others? Stores in my area have changed views on masks somewhat. A while back signs were posted saying everyone must wear one but now I'm noticing a change saying one is not needed if it will impair your breathing or effect health or if your health is impaired by wearing such a thing.

2.) Even before this virus, were you not aware people are dirty?

@Solaryellow: If enough people get sick I am quite sure the rest of us will try to keep 6 feet apart.

@horgen:

Enough people have gotten ill and people are still in close quarters. Do we need to reach a certain number or what?

1) No. People (especially Americans and Canadians) are stupid, and are already thinking the regulations are "impacting our liberty" rather than being means to save them from themselves. Even more unfortunately, here in Canada, we've done well flattening our curve, so everyone thinks "it wasn't really serious" and are back to business as usual.

2) Not THAT dirty. My general understanding was people tend to wash their hands after using the washroom. I didn't realize it was a MAJORITY that didn't.