COVID-19 virus will not disappear completely: expert
ECNS
1675838326000

The COVID-19 virus will not disappear completely, but follow a phased occurrence trend like the flu, Chinese experts have said.

It is estimated that there will be a new round of COVID-19 infection after half a year when antibody protection fails, and if the COVID-19 virus doesn’t mutate, obviously, said expert Li Dongzeng from Beijing You-An Hospital.

Students learn about job opportunities at a job fair in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Photo: Xinhua)

Centers for disease control and prevention in Beijing, Hubei, Sichuan and other provinces and cities have warned people of sporadic COVID-19 cases.

There will not be widespread infection cases because in the past two months over 80 percent of people in China have been confirmed affected by the epidemic and an immune barrier has been established, Li said.

But remainder may trigger another round of infection once they contract the virus, he added.

Antibodies among different people decline at varying intervals, therefore, people won’t be infected again at the same time, which means massive infection won’t occur again in the short term.

“Seniors, people with lower immune protection and underlying diseases, and other vulnerable groups should be under key protection,” said Li, adding that handwashing, wearing masks, physical distancing, and booster shots are still necessary to fight COVID-19.