COVID-19’s probably a ‘forever virus’
We must ‘gird ourselves for the long-term struggle’ but severity may lessen over time, expert says
Dr. Jon McCullers performed the ceremonial guitar smash July 25, 2020 at the first Memphis 901 FC home game since the COVID-19 pandemic began. McCullers is on the Shelby County Board of Health and is chief operating officer for the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
The 1918 influenza pandemic killed tens of millions worldwide, but 30 to 40 years later, it had evolved into a much less serious disease. COVID-19 will likely follow a similar path — never going away, but becoming less deadly over time.
Topics
COVID-19 Dr. Jon McCullers Dr. William Schaffner Yerina Ranjit delta variant Subscriber OnlyIt’s GivingTuesday week! Will you join the celebration?
Donate now to help power our free community news access program.You know the value of having unlimited access to The Daily Memphian’s news. When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians with quality, in-depth local news through
- free access at over 300 schools and libraries
- free podcasts and radio broadcasts
- free newsletters
- and more!
Thank you for keeping up with local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Don Wade
Don Wade has been a Memphis journalist since 1998 and he has won awards for both his sports and news/feature writing. He is originally from Kansas City and is married with three sons.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.