#Covid-19: Some social distancing measures could continue until 2022, says Harvard researcher

The next few months are crucial.

Some social distancing measures could continue until 2022, a Harvard study has said. A new report published by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has suggested that unless a vaccine becomes available soon, social restrictions could exist as late as 2022. Published this week in journal Science, the report said that we could continue to see resurgences of Covid-19 for the next few years, particularly in periods of colder weather. "Intermittent distancing may be required into 2022 unless critical care capacity is increased substantially or a treatment or vaccine becomes available," reads the report. "Even in the event of apparent elimination, SARS-CoV-2 surveillance should be maintained since a resurgence in contagion could be possible as late as 2024." Assistant professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Yonatan Grad told CNN that although social distancing is proving successful, the measures could still leave a lot of people vulnerable to the virus. "We were interested in asking about the impact of social distancing and what happens when we stop," he said. "We are doing social distancing with the idea of flattening the curve and trying to prevent overwhelming our healthcare infrastructure. If we do that, we also keep a lot of people susceptible to the infection. "If we stop social distancing (...) we might see again a rise in infection, which might prompt us to reinitiate social distancing." This comes after Minister for Health Simon Harris said that social restrictions could continue in Ireland until a vaccine becomes available.  Minister Harris added that there is "not going to be a magic point" at the beginning of May where life in Ireland returns to normal.

“We may arrive at a point where we can begin to tweak and change some of the restrictions because I am really conscious the current situation is not sustainable forever,” he said.

“I think, being truthful, social distancing is going to remain a very big part of life not just in Ireland but the world over until we get to a vaccine or effective treatment for the coronavirus."

Ireland saw its highest death toll yesterday with a record 41 people passing away. There are now 11,479 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country.