“By understanding that we will be living around COVID-19 for a while, we can turn our attention to making sure we have systems in place for monitoring and responding,” including continued monitoring of vaccine effectiveness as well as surveillance for new variants, an uptick in virus levels in wastewater and more. “We aren’t going to fully control or eradicate it for a very long time,” she said.

“Endemic doesn’t always mean that the virus doesn’t matter or doesn’t affect our lives,” said Emily Martin, Ph.D., an epidemiologist and associate professor at the U-M School of Public Health whose research focuses on understanding and predicting the spread of viruses including the one that causes COVID-19. Cases have risen quickly in parts of Asia and Europe in recent weeks, and may start doing the same in the United States as the BA2 form of the omicron variant becomes more widespread. This new “endemic” phase, where the virus can’t be eliminated from circulation and could still rise up again, requires a different attitude, they say. The coronavirus that has killed millions worldwide – and left countless more with lasting physical, mental and economic scars – is still very much with us. With spring in the air and COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations far below where they were even a few weeks ago, a lot of Americans may have a sense that things are back to normal and the pandemic is in the rearview mirror.īut a panel of University of Michigan experts who spoke in a recent livestreamed event say that’s not quite the case.

Covid 19 people coming back to life