[nradov]

That is not always the case. Only certain types of viruses such as herpes viruses remain dormant in the patient's body. Most respiratory viruses are completely cleared out within a few weeks, assuming the patient survives and has a functioning immune system.

[Aerroon]

But how? I'm genuinely curious. Don't viruses reproduce by getting cells to make copies of them? Is the immune system really capable of removing all of the affected cells?