While we have high hopes that the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak will at one point, taper off and vanish into the annals of time and history, it is becoming readily apparent that such a reality may not happen. What makes it all the worse is that the Covid-19 coronavirus may actually be here to stay for longer than we think, according to Straits Times.
In an hour long-discussion that was held and broadcast by the media company, experts were invited to tally their opinions as to the current state of affairs with regards to the viral epidemic that has seized the world since January. According to them, the epicentre of the viral outbreak is no longer in China as more and more people around the world are being infected by Covid-19.
According to Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, infectious diseases programme leader at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, “The virus is here to stay until the end of the year.”
This is in light of the sudden surge of cases outside of China, which leads experts to suggest that any hopes of the virus ceasing to spread by April or March may be highly unlikely.
Professor Tikki Pangestu, a former director of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) research policy and cooperation department, also predicted three different scenarios that would happen with regards to the Covid-19 outbreak:
- Covid-19 will continue to be an emergency, and more countries will have outbreaks, including severe cases.
- Covid-19 might “disappear completely”, like SARS.
- Covid-19 becomes endemic. This means that the world might have to live alongside it, like other viruses such as the H1N1 swine flu virus.
However, out of the three scenarios, all experts agree that it is most likely that Covid-19 will become a part of our daily lives, and is unlikely to simply ‘disappear’ like the 2001 SARS outbreak. As such, learning to live with it will become ‘the new normal’.
Bearing that in mind, the typical rules of keeping good hygiene habits should be practiced at all times! Remember to always wash your hands, and don’t touch your face!
Also read: South Korea Records Explosive 1,062 New Coronavirus Cases In Just ONE Day, Raising Total To 4,212
