COVID-19 is unlikely to have a definitive "end" date such as other pandemics might have had. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially ended the COVID-19 public health emergency of international concern status in May 2023, marking a major transition point. However, the virus continues to circulate globally with new variants emerging, causing ongoing infections and deaths. Experts suggest that rather than ending completely, COVID-19 is expected to transition from a pandemic to an endemic phase. In this endemic phase, COVID-19 will be consistently present in communities but without causing the widespread, uncontrolled outbreaks or severe strain on healthcare systems seen during the pandemic's height. This means the virus will be managed more like the flu, with ongoing vaccine updates and treatments helping to reduce its impact. Despite widespread vaccination and treatments, COVID-19 can still infect people multiple times, partially due to mutations and only temporary immunity post-infection or vaccination. The pandemic is considered socially "over" in many places as normal activities have largely resumed, but the virus continues to circulate and cause disease at lower levels. Thus, COVID-19 will likely never fully disappear but will become a manageable, ongoing part of infectious diseases worldwide. Continued vigilance, vaccination, new treatments, and possibly improved vaccines (e.g., universal or mucosal vaccines) will play key roles in living with the virus long-term instead of achieving complete eradication.
