Sage member Professor Devi Sridhar has said Britain will not have to live with Covid like flu because its prominence in society will be more like measles
Britain might not have to live with coronavirus in the future because the current crop of vaccines are so effective, a top Government scientist expert has claimed.
Most scientists agree that once the country jabs its way out of the pandemic, Covid will become a seasonal illness which puts pressure on the NHS every winter, like flu.
They have told Brits they must ‘learn to live with the virus’ and predict new jabs will have to be made annually to tackle new variants.
But Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh and an adviser to the Scottish government, said the current jabs are so successful they could stamp the disease out to measles-like levels.
But Professor Sridhar added that vaccines on their own could not squash Covid infections to measles-like numbers, adding that social distancing and mass testing would still need to play a role.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there was ‘no reason we have to live with this virus or even see it as a seasonal flu’ because the vaccine is so effective.She said: ‘A better analogy is probably measles, which is a virus that’s endemic in parts of the world. But we don’t accept living with measles here — we vaccinate against it.’
There were just 810 cases of measles in England and Wales in 2019, when the latest figures go up to, down from 989 the year before.
Professor Sridhar added: ‘The UK should be aiming to suppress and eliminate Covid-19 through vaccines, mass testing and supported isolation.’
There were just 810 cases of measles in the UK in 2019, when the latest figures go up to, down from 989 the year before
Her comments come as England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam said today he expected the virus to become ‘a bit like flu’, with yearly vaccinations required to prevent mass hospitalisations and deaths.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain today, he said: ‘I’ve always framed Covid-19 as a virus that is newly emergent in humans that over time will adapt to humans and that’s what we’re seeing with variants emerging.
Covid could become ‘a bit like flu’, says Jonathan Van Tam
Coronavirus could settle to become ‘a bit like winter flu’, England’s deputy chief medical officer has said.
Once Britain’s vaccine drive has seen all adults receive the jab, Jonathan Van Tam predicts the virus will become less prevalent and easily treatable each year like influenza.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain today, he said: ‘I’ve always framed Covid-19 as a virus that is newly emergent in humans that over time will adapt to humans and that’s what we’re seeing with variants emerging.
‘We fought back with the vaccines but I think it is going to settle in the end a bit like winter flu.
‘In the end we’ll learn to live with coronavirus alongside other winter respiratory viruses like flu and RSV.’
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‘We fought back with the vaccines but I think it is going to settle in the end a bit like winter flu.
‘In the end we’ll learn to live with coronavirus alongside other winter respiratory viruses like flu and RSV.’
Speaking at the Downing Street press conference on Monday when Boris Johnson announced his roadmap out of lockdown England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said he expects the virus to return every winter for the next few years.
He said the country would need to get used to a certain number of Covid-19 deaths every year as the virus would not be eliminated.
‘Every year in the UK, as in every other country, you get substantial numbers of people dying from respiratory infections,’ he said.
‘Flu kills around 9,000 a year, and bad years are significantly more, but there are also pneumonia and adenoviruses and other respiratory infections.
‘I’m afraid, for the foreseeable future, coronavirus is going to be added to that list of things that those who are vulnerable – even despite vaccination – can be at risk of.’
He said coronavirus was ‘likely to be a problem, in particular, in the winter for the next few winters’.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock suggest has previously suggested the government does not believe it can eradicate the virus completely, with it instead becoming a regular part of life.
Speaking in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he said: ‘I hope that Covid-19 will become a treatable disease by the end of the year.
‘If Covid-19 ends up like flu, so we live our normal lives and we mitigate through vaccines and treatments, then we can get on with everything again.
‘I’m confident we can offer the vaccine to all adults by September.’
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