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 OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
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.
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.