Video: Covid-19 Will Be Just ‘One of Many’ New Infectious Diseases Spilling Over From Animals to Humans

August 17, 2020

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - MARCH 09: Medical staff, wearing protective gear, move a patient infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) from an ambulance to a hospital on March 09, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. The South Korean government has raised the coronavirus alert to the "highest level" as confirmed case numbers continue to rise across the country. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69 new cases were reported on Monday, with the death toll rising to 53. The total number of infections in the nation tallies at 7,382, the highest outside of China. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

As the new coronavirus continues to turn the world upside down, crashing economies and overextending health care systems, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts are increasingly focusing on how to prevent the next pandemic, rather than solely reacting to the current one.

Covid-19 has already taught many lessons about response and resilience to disease, but perhaps chief among them is that if we do not significantly alter our relationship with the natural world, the next pandemic could be not just around the corner, it could be worse.