Does it change the meaning of the sentence if I omit "set" here?

Rebecca

Yes, it would. "Looks set to X" is an expression meaning that someone or something seems ready or about to do something. Thus, we can understand "the virus looks set to be a feature of life for years to come" can be understood as "the virus looks ready to be a feature of life for years to come." If we were to omit "set" here, we would be leaving out an integral part of the sentence and the meaning of it would change. Ex: He looks set to win the race. Ex: My dog looks set to chase that fat squirrel down.