Finally, I've been scanning through stuff on "where is Cov-2 going". Most of these are pretty much boiler plate and emphasize an outcome where the current sequence of variants settles down, and CoV-2 becomes another endemic seasonal C-virus. So its just a question of how many variants emerge and have their wave before we get to that point (with any subsequent waves hopefully not being more virulent). That will almost certainly be part of what happens, but it may not be the whole story.
The linked report from the UK is more comprehensive in terms of outcomes, and, unfortunately is somewhat more technical. However it one is interested in a more complete range of scenarios it is worth a look. It was written before omicron and it is in some senses good to see that omicron fits within their likely scenarios. The report emphasizes several points re the view I've been trying to represent regarding long term (ie decades long) cell mediated insurance polices through vaccination.
4. (snip) SARS-CoV-2 undergoes a reverse zoonotic event into an animal reservoir(s). This virus is then on a separate evolutionary trajectory because the virus animals is subject to different selection processes than in humans. The SARS-CoV-2 decedents then re-emerge into humans at a later time....
Likelihood: Realistic possibility.
50. (snip) Zoonotic reservoirs could lead to a large, expanded population of the virus with the potential for future dramatic variant change in the virus through recombination with another coronavirus already prevalent in that animal species....(cue badgers)
52. The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 involves multiple mechanisms, including innate defences, antibodies, T cells, and B cells. While virus-neutralising antibodies are usually against specific sites exposed on the surface of virus proteins (ie the short term humoral immune component), T cells recognise peptide fragments from a wider range of viral proteins that may be conserved between viral variants, reducing the likelihood that immune escape will emerge.
www.gov.uk