Coronavirus may keep coming back every year, say experts

New Delhi, Apr 29: Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), cannot be stopped and will continue to cause seasonal infections like the flu, top Chinese scientists have said.

"This is very likely to be an epidemic that coexists 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 apex medical research institute, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, according to Bloomberg News.

Earlier, a senior US scientist has warned that there is a strong chance the new coronavirus could return in seasonal cycles. The scientist has highlighted the urgent need to find a vaccine and effective treatments.

"What we're starting to see now... in southern Africa and in the southern hemisphere countries, is that we're having cases that are appearing as they go into their winter season," Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told a briefing.

"And if, in fact, they have a substantial outbreak, it will be inevitable that we need to be prepared that we'll get a cycle around the second time.

There are currently two vaccines that have entered human trials -- one in the US and one in China -- and they could be a year to a year-and-a-half away from deployment.

The highly contagious COVID-19 has infected more than 3 million people globally and led to over 2 lakh deaths.