As health officials in Canada and abroad continue to struggle to contain the novel coronavirus, which has now infected more than 298,000 people worldwide, many questions remain unanswered.
One question that is top of mind for many Canadians is whether an outbreak of this magnitude could happen again, and if this is going to become the new normal.
Here’s what experts say.
Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor and Canada Research Chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said “unfortunately” we can’t predict the frequency of outbreaks or pandemics.
“For example, with influenza, the time periods between pandemics seem to range from 8-40 years,” he wrote in an email to Global News. “We will undoubtedly see the emergence and re-emergence of viruses across the globe (e.g. Ebola virus, Zika virus, Nipah virus etc.)”
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