Dr. Osterholm: Americans will be living with the coronavirus for decades

[Chainfire]

14. That is certainly a rosy prediction....

Assuming the Doctor is correct, while we learn to live with this virus, you have to wonder how many new Covid's will come to pass. One per year, one per decade, one per century? Who knows?

It is not beyond the realm of possibility that emerging viruses would eventually overwhelm our ability to react. This one, while not nearly as deadly as it could be, has dropped our GDP by perhaps a third and has threatened the medical systems with being overwhelmed. If Covid-21 emerged, where would that leave us? We survive by our ability to produce, if we are no longer able to produce then the outcome is predictable.

I try to prepare for the things I can prepare for and do not spend too much time worrying about things that are beyond my control, but the "what ifs" are interesting, to contemplate. Some really good science fiction should emerge from the minds of people living through this pandemic.