How will coronavirus change the world?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: How will coronavirus change the world?
Position‹5 of 5: Coronavirus will impact the way we live
Argument‹4 of 4: Coronavirus will never leave us

The virus is likely to become endemic, infecting, and killing more people year after year. It is almost impossible to stop its transmission.

The argument

Experts have proposed that COVID-19, the specific strain of coronavirus spreading in 2020, is likely to become a permanent part of the landscape of illness. It is extremely unlikely, unless an effective vaccine is produced and made mandatory, that it will ever be eradicated. It is far more likely that, like influenza, COVID-19 is here to stay. Flu viruses and other respiratory viruses tend to survive in cold and dry temperatures. This is why flu season and many other infectious diseases commonly circulate around January to March. There are already major concerns being expressed that COVID-19 is likely to spread once again during the winter. Many colleges and schools are ending semesters early in order to prevent such a spread. Already places like Florida and Beijing are entering a second round of lockdown and fears are high that in the upcoming months, numbers will surge once again. All of these societal precautions and scientific reasoning prove that there is a good chance the virus will become endemic, and unless effective treatments are found, it will continue to spread through society.

Premises

[P1]Experts have proposed that, without an effective and mandatory vaccine, COVID-19 is unlikely ever to be eradicated and—like influenza—is here to stay. [P2] Respiratory viruses thrive in cold, dry conditions, fuelling fears of a winter resurgence, and renewed lockdowns in places like Florida and Beijing suggest the virus will become endemic. [C] Therefore coronavirus will never leave us, and so it will lastingly impact the way we live.

Counter-arguments

COVID-19 likely won't evolve into a recurring year-around pandemic. This is because most medical facilities have upgraded their hospitals and patient care systems to quickly identify COVID patients and isolate them in special wards. In the upcoming months and years, this process is likely to become even more fine-tuned and efficient. If transmission between people is quickly tracked and effective protective measures are implemented, then eventually the disease will stop spreading from person to person.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] We're already well on our way to eradicating COVID-19