Coronavirus will live on after everyone's vaccinated, study suggests — but it won't be very dangerous

Children wearing masks.
(Image credit: INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)

Millions of Americans are on their way to getting vaccinated for the virus, as well as many more people around the world. But despite the fact that slow vaccine rollouts mean the U.S. won't achieve herd immunity for months to come, a study published Tuesday in Science also suggests COVID-19 is "here to stay," The New York Times reports.

Right now, COVID-19 is incredibly dangerous and often deadly because it's brand new to the human body. But once people's immune systems are introduced to the virus, either by contracting it or, hopefully, through a vaccine, they'll get better at fighting the virus off. Things are different for children, who have strong immune systems because they're constantly experiencing viruses and pathogens that are new to their bodies. For example, they start contracting common cold coronaviruses at around age 3 to 5 and fight them off, building up immunity as they're infected again and again over the years.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.