The restrictions on public life aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus may have to stay in place until a vaccine is developed, according to some healthcare professionals.
However, Dr. David Nabarro, a special envoy to the World Health Organization (WHO) told CNN in a recent interview that the world should prepare for the possibility that a coronavirus vaccine is never developed.
“There are some viruses that we still do not have vaccines against,” Nabarro said.
He added, “We can’t make an absolute assumption that a vaccine will appear at all, or if it does appear, whether it will pass all the tests of efficacy and safety.”
Nabarro also said that it is “essential that all societies everywhere get themselves into a position” that they can handle a “constant threat” of the coronavirus.
Nabarro’s comments come after the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota released a report that said the coronavirus pandemic could last for up to two years.
Additionally, the report said the public should “be prepared for possible periodic resurgences of disease over the next two years.”
While researchers are working on developing a vaccine for the virus, the Mayo Clinic estimates that it may take 12 to 18 months to develop one. Additionally, the Mayo Clinic said that it is not guaranteed that a vaccine could be developed.
President Donald Trump sounded optimistic about the prospects of a coronavirus vaccine during a virtual town hall on Fox News on Sunday. He said, “I think we’re going to have a vaccine by the end of the year. Now, the doctors would say, ‘Well, you shouldn’t say that,’ I’ll say what I think.”
