Little potential for Covid-19 vaccine by 2021
There is little potential for a 100-per cent effective coronavirus vaccine by 2021, a French expert warned in Sunday, urging persons to take social distancing measures more seriously.
"A vaccine is many years in expansion," said epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet, an associate of the team of scientists advising the government about the crisis, speaking in BFMTV television.
"Of course, there can be an unprecedented effort to develop a vaccine, but I would be very stunned if we had one which was effective in 2021," he added.
While we'd probably have one that worked partially, we were incredibly far from the finish of the crisis, he said.
That being the circumstance, "we have to live with this virus" he said. And since another lockdown was unthinkable, people had to go back to "much more serious habits."
"Come early july, let's respect physical length, at least!" he explained, stressing that large gatherings were the key threat.
On Saturday, a DJ's set on a beach in the Mediterranean holiday resort of Nice drew thousands of men and women in concert, sparking a furious response on social media.
Also on Saturday, several well-known doctors needed the government to help make the wearing of masks inside public properties compulsory in a bid to mind off a second wave of the coronavirus.
Fontanet said the main risks for the looks of new virus clusters were found in confined places, such as on cruise lines, warships, activities halls, discos, slaughterhouses, lodging housing migrant employees and places of worship.
On Wednesday, the French federal government said it had been preparing for a second wave of Covid-19, but instead of imposing another nationwide lockdown, they would use "targeted" measures such as for example stay-at-home orders or organization closures. - AFP
