Who thinks this is a realistic prediction?
No, they persist in the population, mutating all the while. They spread more when seasonable changes bring people together and when the weather conditions are more conducive to spread.
Covid is a rhinovirus, as are most common colds. From an infection standpoint, I think of Covid as a really bad version of a cold. Colds never go away, they just come back each year with new mutations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinovirus
The good news: maybe the upsurge of research on Covid will lead to vaccines for colds and other viruses.
"We’re Not at Endemicity Yet":
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/12/covid-is-...
I was saying covid may become endemic and remain around forever, whereas missedthecue's saying it may be eradicated (which I don't think likely).
But I was dead wrong about covid being a rhinovirus, as yorwba has pointed out below. I've had that wrong for a long time, so need to think about it!