Chinese scientists have recently discussed a new Coronavirus claim. They said that SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to be eradicated in the world. Worse, this disease may possibly return each year in every country like "seasonal flu."
Virus may return every year like 'seasonal flu,' claim Chinese scientists
Bloomberg reported that some of the top Chinese scientists have claimed that the virus will unlikely disappear in the infected places. Worse, the virus could return in waves each year due to the massive number of asymptomatic patients-- not yet being recorded and tested.
Interestingly, SARS-CoV- 2 is way different from its close cousins like SARS or MERS. Aside from the asymptomatic carriers, the virus is not easily detected since wide testing is not yet applied worldwide. In SARS, for example, the disease will likely stop circulating once a patient undergoes quarantine. Unfortunately, this is not the same as Coronavirus.
Once the number of asymptomatic patients-- undetected and untested-- continues to increase, the possibility of the virus to be easily eradicated is still a long shot.
"This is very likely to be an epidemic that co-exists with humans for a long time, becomes seasonal and is sustained within human bodies," said Jin Qi, director of the Institute of Pathogen Biology at China's top medical research institute, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
United States Dr. Fauci: "We may never return to normal"
Sadly, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, already said that "going back to the normal" before the outbreak, is a still strong possibility if the virus will not be contained, once and for all.
"When we get back to normal, we will go back to the point where we can function as a society," he said. He continued, "If you want to get back to pre-coronavirus, that might not ever happen in the sense that the threat is there."
Heat may help on removing Coronavirus, say U.S. officials
Chinese experts also debunked the latest theory of some top U.S. officials. Last week, officials said that summer might help on easing the spread of Coronavirus since heat exposure slows down the virus.
"Coronavirus dies at a much more rapid pace when exposed to sunlight and humidity," said Bill Bryan, the head of the science and technology directorate at the Department of Homeland Security, during the White House briefing. "The virus dies the quickest in direct sunlight. Isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds."
Unfortunately, Chinese experts found no evidence in terms of this claim.
"The virus is heat-sensitive, but that's when it's exposed to 56 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, and the weather is never going to get that hot," said Wang Guiqiang, head of the infectious diseases department of Peking University First Hospital. "So globally, even during the summer, the chance of cases going down significantly is small."
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