BREAKING: What will a post-vaccine world look like? Once most adults are immune — following natural infection or vaccination — the virus will be no more of a threat than the common cold, according to a new modeling study. 1/5 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/health/coronavirus-immunity-future.html

The virus is the grim menace it is now only because it's an unfamiliar foe. That will no longer be the case once most people have been exposed. Eventually, young children will be its only "naive" hosts -- and in them it will cause mostly cold-like symptoms, if any 2/5

We. can get there one of two ways. The hard way -- vaccinating everyone -- or the horrible way, letting infections kill millions. Either way, we will get there, but only if the virus turns out to be like common cold coronaviruses (likely). 3/5

The most fascinating thing I learned reporting this story is that scientists are revisiting a theory that the pandemic of 1890, frequently ascribed to the flu, may in fact have been caused by OC-43, one of the four common cold coronaviruses. 4/5

Read up on this comforting and promising news (for a change!)

Feat. work by Jennie Lavine @EmoryUniversity and comment from @profshanecrotty @JenGommerman @mlipsitch and @VeilletteAndre https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/health/coronavirus-immunity-future.html