>However I'm curious how long before we get to zero cases.
When will influenza or the common cold get to zero cases? Never. Viruses mutate. They change. If the rate of change is fast enough and the hosts population large enough then they never burnout. But they tend to evolve to the optimal level of virulence for their transmission mechanism. Convergent evolution. That's why there are some >200 different viruses that we call "the common cold". This will soon become just another one.
>I'm curious at the end of the year if they'll say "Yeah we overreacted. It wasn't exactly everywhere and the masks were unnecessary."
That will be the day after the election. It will be about the same time that the experts suddenly remember that viruses that can readily respond to evolutionary pressures cannot be effectively combated with masse vaccination campaigns (that only worked with viruses that evolve very very slowly).
>Sounds like people could be traveling if this virus has already evolved into a simple cold?
Sure. But it's hard to tell what it really is right now.
>I thought we don't know if it will come back in the fall and be worse?
It will probably flare up again, especially with kids going back to school. As for being worse, I have no idea.
>..normally the flu and colds are around more in the colder seasons vs the summer.
That's because people tend to spend more time inside and in closer proximity in the colder months.
>I'm just trying to understand what you meant by flare up.
"sharply increase" to more than it is now. I have no idea how much. But I expect a ton of media hype immediately before the election to try to get the older population (more R leaning) to stay home and to legitimize mail-in voting. It will be hard to understand just how good or bad it really is. But I don't care about things that I can't do anything about or which will not affect my plans.
I say leave the vaccine to the 10% of people who really need it. It will be like the flu vaccine in that the more people get it then the less likely it will be effective. It won't take them long to understand that a RNA virus with 30k basepairs of tricks already up its sleeve can mutate faster than they can cook up new vaccines. And forcing its evolution by vaccination too many people is counterproductive (but there will be too many to only see $$$s and try to keep alive the myth that the virus can be eradicated like smallpox if EVERYONE gets the vaccine).
POTUS has to appease the suburban housewives, not just us shitposters.