Multiple covid variants found and sequenced. Mutation rate and other factors determined and predictable.
Work starts on annual covid vaccination programmes, similar to current annual flu programmes.
As vaccines are rolled out, death rates in the elderly drop, and rise comparatively among those aged 20s-30s causing much debate about whether this matters.
Covid is found to easily hop from humans to multiple different animals where it mutates before hopping back to humans again. Epidemiologists become hugely worried about this, but nobody seems to listen.
Governments (those who listen to the epidemiologists) attempt to divert more funds to bolster virus surveillance programmes, but are heavily stymied by rising nationalistic tendencies among the electorate. Investment in overseas collaborations such as surveillance programmes are attacked by populist/xenophobic pundits who clamour for protectionist policies. The political landscape becomes increasingly fractious.
Work starts on annual covid vaccination programmes, similar to current annual flu programmes.
As vaccines are rolled out, death rates in the elderly drop, and rise comparatively among those aged 20s-30s causing much debate about whether this matters.
Covid is found to easily hop from humans to multiple different animals where it mutates before hopping back to humans again. Epidemiologists become hugely worried about this, but nobody seems to listen.
Governments (those who listen to the epidemiologists) attempt to divert more funds to bolster virus surveillance programmes, but are heavily stymied by rising nationalistic tendencies among the electorate. Investment in overseas collaborations such as surveillance programmes are attacked by populist/xenophobic pundits who clamour for protectionist policies. The political landscape becomes increasingly fractious.