Transition to endemicity: Understanding COVID-19

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Rustom Antia, Emory University; Elizabeth M Halloran, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-10-12
• Publisher: Elsevier Inc
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2021.09.019
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Immunity
• Volume: 54
• Issue: 10
• Start Page: 2172
• End Page: 2176
• Keywords: Prevalence; Disease Susceptibility; Epidemics; SARS-CoV-2; Humans; Severity of Illness Index; Endemic Diseases; Immunity; COVID-19; Vaccination
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Oncology

Abstract

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused a devastating pandemic worldwide. Here, we explain basic concepts underlying the transition from an epidemic to an endemic state, where a pathogen is stably maintained in a population. We discuss how the number of infections and the severity of disease change in the transition from the epidemic to the endemic phase and consider the implications of this transition in the context of COVID-19.