Lockdown 2.0? Will the Hantavirus Turn Into Another Full Blown Pandemic?

If you were alive during the Covid pandemic, you likely remember how eerie the beginning of the outbreak was. Many of us first learned of the virus while watching international news, as they talked about an illness that had sickened a whole town.

From there, we watched in horror as the virus spread, first to Italy and then eventually to the U.S., where it eventually caused the world to briefly come to a stop as medical professionals and experts gave advice and tried to keep people alive.

A hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship has a lot of people feeling deja vu, after multiple people died as a result of their infection, which seemed to be able to jump from person to person, a trait the virus isn't typically known for.

As such, many people are asking if the hantavirus is going to become another pandemic, potentially forcing the world into lockdown once again as we quarantine to keep ourselves and the most vulnerable among us safe.

Here's what we know so far.

The good news is that most of the experts who are speaking to reporters are saying no, this will not become another pandemic. Take Today.com, the publication says that everyone it spoke with shared the same thoughts, citing both the way the virus is transmitted as well as the initial containment efforts being performed by experts.

Typically, the virus is spread by rodents, particularly when their feces and urine become aerosolized and breathed in (like what would happen if you were cleaning).

However, an outbreak on a cruise ship has many people concerned since it seems like healthcare experts are dealing with a different strain of the virus, which can be spread from person to person, known as the Andes strain.

This complicates things a little bit, since, unlike the typical strain of the virus, people in close quarters can pass the illness on to one another, allowing for a quicker spread, especially when in close quarters like on a cruise.

People have been known to contract hantavirus in the U.S. prior to the 2026 cruise ship outbreak — you may remember that this is what killed Gene Hackman's wife, ultimately creating the conditions that led to the beloved actor's own death — so it's not exactly new here.

However, USA Today notes that there are multiple people in the U.S. who are being monitored for the Andes strain of hantavirus after coming into contact with passengers aboard the impacted cruise ship.

While there are obvious reasons to be concerned about the hantavirus, it doesn't sound like the experts are worried that it will become the next pandemic. And that's a good thing, because the hantavirus has a 35 percent mortality rate, according to Fox News, which means 35 percent of the people who become infected with it will die.

Meanwhile Covid's mortality rate was much lower, according to a study from Cambridge University Press, which put it around 3 percent for those without underlying conditions.

And while those numbers sound scary, it's important to remember that hantavirus isn't as contagious as Covid was, even when people are infected with the Andes strain. Hopefully, that sets some minds at ease, since all of this really does feel reminiscent of 2020.