


(Remember swine flu?) The WHO declared a pandemic that June, and by mid-September, the FDA approved four vaccines for the virus, and they started getting administered in October. Here's one example of the timeline of a past pandemic: In 2009, a novel H1N1 flu pandemic occurred. Sign up for WH Stronger for unlimited site access and more In the past, pandemics have typically lasted between 12 and 36 months. But researchers do look at past pandemics to make very baseline predictions about when it might end. But pandemics have happened before, and they eventually pass as they become more contained, and as vaccines are developed and distributed.

Honestly, it’s impossible to say if and when the coronavirus will die down because it’s still a new virus, and therefore unpredictable, says Faheem Younus, MD, the chief of infectious diseases at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health. How long will people be dealing with COVID-19 in the U.S. But infectious disease specialists and researchers have some thoughts to help put this global health situation into perspective. The short answer to that question is, no one can say for certain (sorry!). Vaccines for COVID-19 have been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are currently being distributed. You may be wondering as a result: When will the COVID-19 pandemic actually be over?Įxperts swear this weird version of reality won’t last forever. Social distancing, mask usage, and doing your best to stay home are all “normal” these days. COVID-19 has changed life so significantly that it can sometimes be tough to remember what life was like without it.
