[obloid]

Varicella-zoster virus (chickenpox/shingles), while it does create latent infections, is not a retrovirus. Retroviruses like HIV actually insert a copy of the viral genome into the host cell's DNA. VZV and other herpesviruses have a different latency mechanism[1] than retroviruses. SARS-CoV-2 probably does not cause latent infections, but could potentially cause a chronic infection similar to other RNA viruses like Hepatitis C. I would suspect it probably doesn't, but it is certainly possible.

1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3118253/

[at_a_remove]

How odd, this is not what I was taught decades back. I suppose I will have to refresh. This is like finding out that Mercury is not tidally locked to the Sun, despite that being in textbooks forever.

[mrguyorama]

Are you sure you aren't just misremembering?

[at_a_remove]

Of all of the things you can be sure of, misremembering isn't one of them.