Could the novel coronavirus become a seasonal virus? New study suggests yes — but not yet - Fox News

The novel coronavirus may one day become a seasonal virus like the flu — but that day won’t come until herd immunity is achieved, according to the findings of a recent review published in Frontiers in Public Health.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 infection, will likely become seasonal “in countries with temperate climates” following herd immunity, according to a press release on the study’s findings.

But until then, study authors said the novel virus will “continue to circulate across the seasons.”.

For the new study, researchers reviewed seasonal viruses, namely the flu and several types of common cold-causing coronaviruses.

There is an ongoing debate within the scientific community about why some respiratory viruses are seasonal.

These factors influence [the] transmission of respiratory viruses at different times of the year,” the study authors added.

But at this moment, COVID-19 is not like other respiratory viruses, namely due to its higher rate of transmission (R0) which is “at least partly due to circulation in a largely immunologically naïve population.”?

But, once herd immunity is attained through natural infections and vaccinations, the R0 should drop substantially, making the virus more susceptible to seasonal factors,” the researchers concluded, per the release.

But we think it's highly likely, given what we know so far, COVID-19 will eventually become seasonal, like other coronaviruses," Zaraket said in the study release.

In the meantime, the study authors urged for “rigorous control measures to limit virus spread” until herd immunity is attained.