'Going to be around forever': UC Davis doctor fears COVID-19 is here to stay regardless of vaccines
DAVIS, Calif. (KGO) -- Dr. Jonathan Eisen is an evolutionary biologist at UC Davis and is an expert in DNA sequencing to study the evolution of microbes. What does he think of the evolution of COVID-19 at this point?
RELATED: Doctors in favor of requiring proof of vaccination to enter Bay Area businesses
"These vaccines are remarkable in terms of how well they work but on the pessimistic side, I think this is what will become known as an endemic pathogen," he said. "It's going to be around forever. We're not going to wipe it out."
He said he's concerned about the number of unvaccinated people, explaining, "we have hundreds of millions of people around the globe who are infected. Each one of them provides a new breeding ground for new variants to show up."
Eventually herd immunity could kick in. But in the meantime, scientists are monitoring not only Delta, but Lambda and beyond.
VIDEO: Delta variant described as 'new beast' as UCSF doctors gear up for potential peak this October
Dr. Eisen said, "There are going to be other letters that show up and some of them will be minor and maybe less spreadable than the Delta or Lambda variant, but some of them will probably spread even better. It's scary right now. I think the big thing that I worry about for monitoring for the future includes more virulence, that is variants that make people sicker than the current ones are, and new variants that are able to get around the vaccine or the natural immunity people have."
Eisen believes the best defense we have is routine testing of asymptomatic people. He is concerned about people refusing to mask up or get a vaccine.
"Those things concern me more than new variants because they create the breeding ground for new variants to keep coming and coming and coming," he said.
Having trouble loading the tracker above? Click here to open it in a new window. RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:
- Map shows which counties can, can't reopen under reopening tiers
- Cheat sheet: What you can and can't do after being fully vaccinated
- How to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in every Bay Area county
- Map shows everywhere you can get a COVID-19 test in the Bay Area
- Interactive map shows what's closed and what's reopening in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Data tracker: Coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations in every Bay Area county
- Third stimulus check calculator: See how much you could get
- COVID-19 Diaries: Personal stories of Bay Area residents during pandemic
- Get the latest updates on California EDD, stimulus checks, unemployment benefits
- Coronavirus origin: Where did COVID-19 come from?
- What is a COVID-19 genetic, antigen and antibody test?
- What does COVID-19 do to your body and why does it spread so easily?
- Coronavirus Timeline: Tracking major moments of COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Bay Area
- Coronavirus Doctor's Note: Dr. Alok Patel gives his insight into COVID-19 pandemic
