Covid-19: Life will not return to normal for at least two years, Expert warns

Life globally will not return to normal for two or three years based on the rate of the current vaccination rollout, it has been warned - but there are early signs jabs are reducing cases in the UK.

Speaking to Sky News, Dr Clare Wenham, assistant professor of global health policy at London School of Economics, said the COVID-19 pandemic will not be over until the world’s population is protected. “At the moment, the data is showing it’s going to be 2023/24 before the global vaccines are distributed to everybody,” she said. “That’s a long time. And distributing some now might be able to get us back to normal life sooner.” Even once the UK population had been vaccinated, restrictions such as border controls would continue to exist because of the threat posed by resistant coronavirus variants being brought in from outside, she said. “This pandemic isn’t going to be over until it’s over globally,” Dr Wenham said. “We’re still going to be living in some form of restrictions - travel restrictions, border controls - even when we’re vaccinated, until it’s over round the world.