Anthony Fauci, MD, believes the chances of eradicating the virus that causes COVID-19 are zero.
The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases spoke June 13 at the AHIP 2023 conference, answering questions about what's next for COVID-19 and why it is unlikely to ever be fully eradicated.
"There are three things that could happen with COVID. We could eradicate it, we could eliminate it or we could control it. So, eradication — I think the chances of that are zero and the reason is we've only eradicated one viral infection that infects man in the history of public health, and that's smallpox," Dr. Fauci told the audience.
The reason smallpox was eradicated in 1980 is because the virus that causes the disease does not change phenotypically or genotypically. For the same reasons, it is also unlikely COVID-19 will be eliminated in the U.S.
"We're always going to have COVID-19," Dr. Fauci said. But in the long-term, "It'll be low enough that it doesn't really disturb the social order," because of immunity levels among the general population from vaccination, boosting and infection.
"Unless we get a way out new variant, which is possible. I don't think it's going to happen but it's possible, we should have that low level of control," he said.
One more COVID-19 update:
- FDA advisers are expected to recommend that updated COVID-19 vaccines for this fall and winter target one of the currently circulating XBB omicron subvariants. In briefing documents posted online ahead of the June 15 meeting, FDA staff said the vaccination campaign should be a monovalent vaccine targeting either XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16 or XBB.2.3.