China’s top scientists said the novel coronavirus will not be eradicated, joining a growing consensus around the world that the pathogen will likely return in waves like the flu.
It is unlikely for the new virus to disappear the way its close cousin the SARS virus did 17 years ago, as it infects some people without causing obvious symptoms like fever.
This group of asymptomatic carriers makes it hard to fully contain transmission as they can spread the virus undetected, a group of Chinese virus and medical researchers told reporters in Beijing at a briefing on Monday.
With SARS, those infected became seriously ill. Once they were quarantined from others, the virus stopped spreading. In contrast, China is still finding dozens of