Covid-19 “is with us indefinitely” like the flu, but “surveillance is necessary”, assures a virologist

Covid-19 “is with us indefinitely” like the flu, but a “surveillance for this virus is necessary”declared Saturday March 18 on franceinfo Bruno Lina, virologist at the Lyon University Hospital, member of Covars (Committee for monitoring and anticipating health risks), while the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the Covid -19 would soon be comparable to the threat of seasonal flu.

franceinfo: Will the Covid be able to be compared to the flu?

Bruno Lina: We have a virus that will persist, continue to be present and the best analogy we can make with another respiratory virus that causes epidemics and a significant impact on health is the flu. There are nuances to be made. First, the rate of circulation of the coronavirus may not be that of the flu, which is present in the winter and absent in the summer. There, we do not know if the coronavirus will be present all the time with an occasional outbreak. The second point is that there is a very important difference between the flu and the coronavirus, it is that we know that a significant part which makes an infection with the coronavirus makes long Covids. Therefore, this particular dimension must be taken into account.

Should we continue to monitor the evolution of Covid-19?

This is fundamental work that we must continue to do. Surveillance for this virus is necessary. We have seen how quickly it was able to evolve during the first epidemic waves of the pandemic. Today, it seems to have entered a slightly wiser phase, we still have an evolution of the virus. Unlike the alpha or omicron variants, these are replacements, not a new epidemic wave. But these replacements need to be monitored because perhaps some of these viruses will have particular characteristics.

What are the consequences of this development on vaccination and barrier gestures?

Barrier gestures, they should not be targeted only against the coronavirus, they are useful against all respiratory viruses and therefore we must have the natural reflex, when we are sick, to wear a mask and wash our hands. frequently. On vaccination, we must try to adapt to the risk of virus circulation and redo vaccine reminders for the most fragile.

Will the Covid eventually disappear?

No, the Covid is with us indefinitely. It is very likely that during the late 19th century, around 1890, a coronavirus pandemic, OC43, was observed and this virus is still around.