ASK JAMES: Will coronavirus ever go away?

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – As stay at home orders lift and businesses start to reopen, local doctors said it will be a while before life goes “back to normal”. Protests have popped up across the country over the past few weeks and many people are asking when coronavirus will be tackled.

Dr. Kevin Dishman is the chief medical officer at Stormont Vail Health in Topeka. He said, in the short term, testing is key to loosening social distance restrictions. However, long term is a different story.

“Long term, vaccination is the key,” Dishman said. “We’re told anywhere from 12 to 18 months for a vaccine, so again the vaccination is the key to controlling this virus just as it has been for other diseases.”

Dishman said that viruses can also mutate. This is why people get a flu virus vaccine each year. He said it’s possible people will need multiple vaccines if coronavirus changes.

Also, not all people believe in getting vaccines. Ultimately, Dishman said we as a society will have to learn to deal with coronavirus, the same way we deal with the flu.

This story is part of a new weekly “Ask James” segment. Each Friday, KSNT News plans to answer viewer questions about the virus, the response to the pandemic, and everything in between. Viewers can send their questions to the James Ryan KSNT Facebook Page.

This question was from Michelle who asked “Is this virus going to end and be over so we can get our lives back to normal?”