What will the future hold for COVID-19? Will new variants of the coronavirus cause us to need new vaccines every few years and restrictions on our lives indefinitely? Maybe. But a new study published in the journal Science offers a more optimistic possibility. Researchers from Emory and Penn State believe the coronavirus may never go away but could change into a mild annoyance. They argue that after most people have been exposed to the virus — either through vaccination or COVID-19 infections — the virus will continue to circulate but will mostly cause only mild illnesses. They base their opinions on data from other coronaviruses, like those that cause the common cold or SARS. Immunity to them does wane over time, but symptoms from reinfection tend to be milder than the first illness.