According to a new study by Harvard researchers “prolonged or intermittent social distancing may be necessary into 2022” to curb the spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Researchers commented this after examining computer models of several scenarios. To tackle the coronavirus pandemic, current restrictions should be continued. Lifting these restrictions too early could possibly make consequences even more horrible.
They wrote in their report, “Intermittent distancing may be required into 2022 unless critical care capacity is increased substantially or a treatment or vaccine becomes available,”
“Even in the event of apparent elimination, SARS-CoV-2 surveillance should be maintained since resurgence in contagion could be possible as late as 2024.”
Researchers foresee very less chances that this virus will be fully eliminated. Researchers have made the predictions, however there are many unanswered questions for these models to become more accurate.
- Can coronavirus be wiped out after this initial pandemic wave, like the SARS outbreak of 2003?
- Does it spread faster in winter than in summer?
- After getting infected, how long does its immunity lasts?
- The way it interacts with other viruses is still unknown?
According to Neel Kashkari, the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, “This could be a long, hard road that we have ahead of us until we get to either an effective therapy or a vaccine,”
“It’s hard for me to see a V-shaped recovery under that scenario.”
