THE coronavirus pandemic could be over within two years but we may have to live with its fall-out forever, say experts.
The head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has raised hopes that we can arrest the virus by 2023.
Speaking to a conference in Geneva, he used the Spanish flu of 1918 – which claimed the lives of 50 million people – as a benchmark.
He said that while Spanish flu was overcome in two years, this pandemic, which has claimed the lives of 800,000, could be contained “in a shorter time”.
“Of course with more connectiveness, the virus has a better chance of spreading. But at the same time, we have also the technology to stop it, and the knowledge to stop it,” he said, stressing the importance of “national unity and “global solidarity”.
READ MORE: Coronavirus in Scotland: 123 new Covid-19 cases found over 24 hours
Professor Sir Mark Walport, of the UK’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said that Covid-19 was “going to be with us forever in some form or another”. “So, a bit like flu – people will need re-vaccination at regular intervals.”
As the experts discuss the long-term diagnosis for the virus, the challenge of trying to bring Covid-19 under control in the short term is proving continually problematic.
It was confirmed yesterday that there were 123 new coronavirus infections in Scotland over 24 hours, making it the biggest daily increase for more than three months.
The figure is the largest single-day jump since May 16, when 187 people were confirmed to have Covid-19.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the number as “of concern”.
There were two people in intensive care on Friday night, which is unchanged over the last 24 hours, and there were no new deaths reported among patients who have previously tested positive.
Daily figures released by the Scottish Government showed 78 of the new cases are in the Tayside region. This follows the disclosure of a growing cluster of infections originating from a 2 Sisters chicken factory in Coupar Angus, Perthshire.
READ MORE: Scottish comedy pleads to Government as it is on ‘brink of collapse’
All workers at the food processing plant and everyone in their households were ordered to self-isolate until the end of the month.
Sturgeon said Scotland would remain in phase three of its route map for the next three weeks.
But there was good news for the sporty among us, with the reopening of gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts brought forward to August 31 from September 14.
While outdoor contact sports, driving lessons and indoor face-to-face advice services such as Citizens Advice were given the go-ahead to resume from tomorrow.
And bingo fans can get their cards out as bingo halls can reopen too, while some live outdoor events have also been given the green light but with limits on numbers and increased hygiene measures.
The First Minister has warned though that we must remain vigilant and that the most recent estimate is that the R number – the number of people each infected person infects – “could currently be above one”.
This follows the emergence of numerous coronavirus clusters across the country, including in Aberdeen, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and Perthshire.
Meanwhile, a senior medical expert has suggested the UK may need to increase testing from current levels of 150,000 per day to up to 10 million per day.
Professor Ara Darzi, co-director of Imperial College London’s Institute of Global Health Innovation, said regular home testing could be the UK’s “best hope”.
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