Experts hope COVID-19 will evolve to be more like the common cold

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Experts hope COVID-19 will evolve to be more like the common cold

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Some infectious disease experts think there may be something of a silver lining² with the omicron surge. It may leave a blanket of enhanced immunity³ that leaves the virus easier to live with.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Federal health officials faced criticism from senators over the administration's handling of the pandemic.

Here's Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TOMMY TUBERVILLE: We hear conflicting guidance across the board. Most Americans can't make heads or tails of anything coming out of this administration. At times, it doesn't seem like anyone's in charge.

INSKEEP: Dr. Anthony Fauci defended the administration.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANTHONY FAUCI: This is an extraordinary virus, the likes of which we have not seen even close to in well over 100 years. It is a very wily virus.

INSKEEP: Now, as devastating⁴ as that virus is now, some infectious disease experts think there could be an eventual⁵ benefit to the omicron surge we're in the middle of.

NPR health correspondent Rob Stein explains.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE⁶: When the pandemic began, the Holy Grail was flattening⁷ the curve. Well, that didn't pan out. Then there was herd⁸ immunity - no such luck there, either. Now the new hope is something called endemicity. That's when the virus is still around but can kind of fade into the background of daily life as it becomes more predictable and maybe less threatening.

ELIZABETH HALLORAN: We will always have COVID-19 with us in some form. But what we're really interested in is that you can get infected and it will be more like a common cold.

STEIN: Elizabeth Halloran studies infectious disease dynamics⁹ at the University of Washington.

HALLORAN: And so, yes, the answer is yes. As a lot of people get infected with omicron, this one will get us closer to where we want to be.

STEIN: Because the velocity¹⁰ of the omicron wave overtaking delta¹¹ and infecting so many people is so utterly¹² breathtaking.

Sally Otto is at the University of British Columbia.

SALLY OTTO: The omicron wave is so spectacularly fast. I'm an evolutionary¹³ biologist, and this - omicron is redefining what we call strong selections. I've never seen anything spread as quickly in the natural world.

STEIN: Which means it should quickly blanket the country with a new level of enhanced immunity.

Cecile Viboud is a senior epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health.

CECILE VIBOUD: Every new wave of SARS-CoV-2 variants¹⁵ gets us closer to endemicity because it builds immunity in the population. You know, this is going to get us closer. We're not entirely¹⁶ there yet - but yeah, getting closer.

STEIN: So combined with more and more people getting vaccinated¹⁷, even if the virus is still around after the omicron wave recedes¹⁸ or comes back on a regular basis, most people won't get very sick from it - like the flu.

And Jeremy Kamil at Louisiana State University says the virus also appears to be changing in ways that could help explain why it appears to be milder.

JEREMY KAMIL: All that immunity out there seems to be sculpting¹⁹ the virus' spike²⁰ protein to behave a little bit differently. So that is another side of this coin that is starting to make the virus look a little bit more endemic.

STEIN: Now, this might make some people think, well, sounds like I'm going to get it, and it could boost my immunity without a lot of risk, so why not just get it over with? But Kamil and others say, don't even think about it. Get vaccinated and boosted. Even if omicron's milder, it still can be really nasty - even deadly. And don't forget about long COVID. Omicron's going to inflict²¹ enough carnage. And many scientists caution it's way too early to conclude with any certainty that we'll be on the right road after omicron.

Michael Worobey studies evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona.

MICHAEL WOROBEY: I want to actually get away from any kind of narrative²² that omicron is some sort of silver lining. It's irresponsible to suggest that there's some sort of preordained progression of viruses like this toward becoming benign²³.

STEIN: The next variant¹⁴ could just as easily be nastier and even better at outsmarting our immune systems. And any immunity we get from omicron could fade.

And Jeffrey Shaman at Columbia says, just because something is endemic doesn't always mean it's easier to live with.

JEFFREY SHAMAN: It's very difficult to say, well, it's going to settle into a seasonal²⁴ pattern, be much milder, and we're not going to have to worry about it; we'll be able to get back to our lives. I would love that. That would be great. But I just don't know if it will happen.

STEIN: So in the meantime, says Harvard epidemiologist William Hanage, the country needs to double down and do everything possible to blunt the damage as omicron tears across the nation.

WILLIAM HANAGE: I do strongly suspect that we will see a transformed world once omicron has come through. But omicron is just - you know, the house is on fire. Let's put the fire out.

STEIN: Rob Stein, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

3 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 flattening   

n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词

参考例句：

• Flattening of the right atrial border is also seen in constrictive pericarditis. 右心房缘变平亦见于缩窄性心包炎。
• He busied his fingers with flattening the leaves of the book. 他手指忙着抚平书页。

8 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

9 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

10 velocity   

n.速度，速率

参考例句：

• Einstein's theory links energy with mass and velocity of light.爱因斯坦的理论把能量同质量和光速联系起来。
• The velocity of light is about 300000 kilometres per second.光速约为每秒300000公里。

11 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

12 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

13 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

14 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

15 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

16 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

17 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

18 recedes   

v.逐渐远离( recede的第三人称单数 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• For this reason the near point gradually recedes as one grows older. 由于这个原因，随着人渐渐变老，近点便逐渐后退。 来自辞典例句
• Silent, mournful, abandoned, broken, Czechoslovakia recedes into the darkness. 缄默的、悲哀的、被抛弃的、支离破碎的捷克斯洛伐克，已在黑暗之中。 来自辞典例句

19 sculpting   

雕刻( sculpt的现在分词 )； 雕塑； 做（头发）； 梳（发式）

参考例句：

• The quality of the result is determined by a Craft( sculpting) check. 由手艺（刻）定决定结果质量如何。
• Another difficulty in the process of ice sculpting is time control. 冰雕过程中的另一项困难是时间的掌控。

20 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

21 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

22 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

23 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

24 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。