Copyright
Reuters
Coronavirus will “forever be in one form or another,” said a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
Sir Mark Walport said people should be vaccinated regularly.
His remarks come after the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said he hoped the pandemic would be over within two years because the Spanish flu took two years to overcome.
Sir Mark said thinner populations and travel meant the virus spread easily.
He also said that the world population was now much larger than in 1918.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Sir Mark said that in order to control the pandemic, “worldwide vaccination” would be required, but coronavirus would not be a disease like smallpox “which could be destroyed by vaccination”.
- Where are the hotspots of the world of coronavirus?
- Tourists in the UK shoot at home as quarantine rules ensue
“This is a virus that will be with us forever in one form or another, and will most likely require repeated vaccinations,” he said.
“That, a bit like flu, people will need regular re-vaccination.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, said that the Spanish flu of 1918 took two years to overcome, and that advances in technology could allow the world to stop coronavirus “in a shorter time”.
The 1918 flu killed at least 50 million people.
To date, coronavirus has killed nearly 800,000 people and infected nearly 23 million.
Sir Mark warned that the “possible” coronavirus would “get out of control”, but said more targeted measures could now be used instead of a generic lockdown.
Coronavirus outbreaks have increased in recent weeks in European countries. Some peoples, who were successful in suppressing the first outbreaks, are now seeing infections recur.
As of August 22, the UK has registered 21.5 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people in the last fourteen days, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Sir Mark said: “We know that less than one in five people around the country are infected, so 80% of the population are still susceptible to this virus.
“It is this terrible balance between trying to minimize the harm to people from the infection and protecting people while society continues.”
He said he was concerned about the rise in the number of cases in Europe and other parts of the world.
Meanwhile, tourists returning to the UK spent thousands of pounds to arrange new flights in a race to get home before new travel rules came into effect.
From 04:00 BST on Saturday, travelers returning from Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago will be quarantined for 14 days.
There were similar scenes last weekend when new rules were introduced for those returning from countries including France and the Netherlands.
