Permanence of habits indicates continuation of pandemics

By Diego L. S. Navia and Samira Scoton |

Personal protective equipment, social distancing, increase of hygiene habits and crowd limitation are responsible for the reduction on the dissemination of COVID- 19. Outbreaks of respiratory disorders are susceptible to non-pharmacological interventions, making such measures responsible for reducing cases of Influenza in the last winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The permanence of hosts is determinant in the emergence of mutations, causing changes in virus’s membrane proteins by annulling previously produced antibodies, generating endemics. The heterogeneity of symptoms and the reactions caused by Coronavirus warn about the possibility of individuals to never develop immunity, justifying the permanence of protective measures.

Impacts on Defense and Security: Studies related to other coronaviruses, which the duration of acquired immunity extends for up to 40 weeks, point out to subsequent outbreaks of the disease over the years, generating public health spending, long-term unsustainable economic losses, in addition to the return of restrictive measures towards the population, which may interfere in the economic and psychosocial expressions of the National Power.

Source: SHAMAN, J. Will SARS-CoV-2 become endemic? Science, 2020. Available at: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6516/527