JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A question many of us have thought about is will the coronavirus stick with us forever?
Nationwide it appears that we're finally getting a handle on this deadly virus. President Biden said that by May all adults should be eligible to get the vaccine.
“The hope always of course is that once you have the vaccine and people get vaccinated and then the virus completely goes away," said Dr. Elizabeth Ransom with Baptist health.
But is that the case? Vaccines ending the coronavirus forever?
“It’s unclear though that is actually what will happen and it’s possible that the virus will continue to linger," said Dr. Ransom.
She says if the virus sticks around it will most likely be at lower levels.
Assistant Chief Medical Officer at UF Health Jacksonville, Dr. Chirag Patel says with the history of viruses, they typically don’t go away.
“There’s historical precedent so you got middle eastern respiratory syndrome, you got the Ebola virus, you got Zika, you got the Bird flu and these things are still here a year later.”
Another question is will we have to get an annual shot for COVID-19 just like we do with the flu?
“The fact that we are starting to see more variants that are not as effective with the vaccine, it is a possibility and this is why there is such a level of urgency to try and get this under control as soon as possible," said Dr. Patel.
Until then wash your hands, wear a mask and stay socially distant.