Experts think that the new coronavirus might end up being a seasonal flu and will probably continue to circulate indefinitely.

"This is going to be with us for some time -- it's endemic in human populations and is not going to go away without a vaccine," Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security was quoted as saying by Business Insider.

"It may decrease in transmission frequency so that you'll be able to have time to get a vaccine scaled up by the next appearance of it," Adalja added.

Many, including US President Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping have expressed hope that the upcoming warm weather will hinder the spread of coronavirus.

Respiratory viruses such as the coronavirus are more active in cooler climates because lower temperatures help harden the protective gel-like coating around the virus, making it more resilient.

If the coronavirus winds up fluctuating with the seasons like the flu, it could retreat in summer and return in the fall and winter each year.