Q: Before the rubella vaccine was licensed in 1969, rubella was cyclical, coming in outbreaks every 4 to 6 years. Should we expect that with the novel coronavirus?
A: That is the $64,000 question. I really have no firm answer to that. We all hope—and I underline hope—that the [novel] coronavirus will not persist in the population in some mild form that could pop up again and again. Bear in mind that there are three or four [different] respiratory coronaviruses that were isolated years ago and which are still circulating, and which cause fortunately mild respiratory infections. They are not going away. And we just don’t know about this coronavirus. That’s why the effort to develop a vaccine in the shortest possible time is so important. Because obviously if next winter [it] returns, we must have a vaccine by that time.
