The debate over when to reopen states amid the coronavirus pandemic has escalated quickly.

Frustration with the extended quarantine is mounting on social media, and residents around the country have defied social distancing orders to attend rallies demanding an easing of restrictions.

Protesters say the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed enough to justify reopening, given the mounting economic and health impacts.

One viral Facebook post making the case to move toward reopening in Wisconsin says we need to get used to living in a world with COVID-19.

It was posted April 26 by Dr. David Murdock, a research cardiologist with the Aspirus health system in Wausau who was placed on leave after attending an April 19 reopen rally.

The consensus medical view is that this virus is here to stay. In other words, this virus cannot be defeated simply by staying inside for a couple of months, wrote Murdock, who said he was observing from the rear of the rally at a safe distance to gather material for a memoir. The world will likely see periodic outbreaks, and we need to accept that and be prepared to deal with COVID long term.

Murdock makes an array of points in the wide-ranging post, which has been shared more than 2,000 times. But were especially interested in the claim about the longevity of COVID-19.

Of course, the Safer at Home order from Gov. Tony Evers and similar efforts across the country, including guidance from President Donald Trump is not designed to eradicate the disease. It was implemented to slow the spread so hospitals arent overwhelmed.

Claim: COVID-19 is 'here to stay'

Many experts have said a true return to normalcy likely isnt possible until a vaccine is widely available, which could be a year or more.

"We're going to probably all need to be used to social distancing for the next 12 to 18 months," John Raymond, CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin, said during an April 27 online briefing for the Greater Milwaukee Committee. Until hopefully we have an effective vaccine, it's likely we're going to be living with COVID-19.

But a vaccine doesnt necessarily mean the end of COVID-19.

Absent a vaccine, I think it would quite likely become like seasonal flu or perhaps like some of the other coronaviruses that we are familiar with, said Bill Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard Universitys School of Public Health. It is entirely plausible that this could become part of our regular landscape of respiratory viraI infections.

The vaccine he references would be a theoretical one that is 100% effective and gives lifelong immunity. But vaccines are almost never perfect, notes Barry Bloom, a professor of public health at Harvard.

Bloom also expressed concern over the volume of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations on social media, which include a host of conspiracy theories about pushing people to vaccinate and concerns about how the vaccines may be dangerous. That could affect willingness to take a vaccine once its available.

The vaccine is only a tool if its used, Bloom said.

What we dont know

Hanage said an array of key unknowns will determine the long-term future of COVID-19:

Whether people can get reinfected, and how severe those recurrences would be;

How much immunity results from minor infections; and

How the summer warm-up alters infectiousness (based on both peoples behavior and the reaction of the virus itself; generally, coronaviruses dont survive as long in warmer weather).

Even if the virus does stick around, though, it may not be the threat it is today.

If that immunity is not very long-lasting and we have good reason from other coronaviruses including the original SARS, that it wont be what type of infections will people have when their immunity starts to wane? Hanage said. The first thing to say is we dont know, but I think its also plausible to suggest they might be milder.

Its worth noting that SARS a disease caused by a coronavirus that killed 774 during a 2003 outbreak has been eradicated. But there are key differences that make COVID-19 a more formidable foe.

In a March 5 article for The Lancet medical journal, Annelies Wilder-Smith noted COVID-19 can be passed on by those with minor symptoms or none at all; SARS patients generally werent contagious until they had severe symptoms. And COVID-19 is more easily transmitted and has had a more prevalent community spread.

The virus remains, and we need to learn how to deal with it, said Wilder-Smith, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Certainly lockdown is only a temporary solution whilst we gear up to provide the true solution. Yes, we need to prepare for this reality.

Charles Branas, chair of the epidemiology department at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, said eradicating the virus like we did with smallpox will be challenging, to say the least. Ali Khan, dean of the College of Public Health and professor of epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said COVID-19 sticking around is likely, but not inevitable.

Khan noted that some countries already are attempting to eliminate the virus. China, New Zealand, Australia and Vietnam have all set a goal of not just containment, but elimination. The New York Times reported April 24 that the adjoining nations of Australia and New Zealand are seeing just a handful of new infections each day and closing in on their extraordinary goal.

Our ruling: True

Based on what we know now, we rate this claim as TRUE. Experts say its still too early to know this with complete certainty, since much remains unknown about the nature of immunity. And we have no clue how effective a future vaccine may be. But a best guess at this point is that COVID-19 could indeed stick around long-term, waxing and waning similar to the seasonal flu. Experts say theres also reason to believe that lingering version could be less severe, though.

Contact Eric Litke at (414) 225-5061 or elitke@jrn.com.

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COVID-19 may be here to stay, even after a vaccine - Burlington Hawk Eye