It’s been five months since the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, and now one expert predicts that this is just the start.
Dr Zhang Wenhong, the Director of Infectious Diseases at Huashan Hospital in Shanghai, predicts that coronavirus could be with us for up to four years, and claims that a second international outbreak could hit as early as this autumn.
Speaking to ITV News, Dr Wenhong said: “We cannot eradicate the disease in the coming two, three or four years.”
Dr Zhang’s predictions are based on his experience dealing with the early outbreak in China.
He saw his first Covid-19 patient on January 12, and implemented a strict city-wide lockdown just a week later.
Amazingly, within just four weeks, the spread of the virus had been contained, and Shanghai was able to start opening up again.
With the virus now widespread around the world, Dr Zhang claims that the only way to stop the spread is by coming up with a vaccine.
He added: “I think we have to wait for the vaccine to stop the virus spreading in high pandemic areas around the world.
“For Europe and Asia, we have to be very alert for the second wave.”
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Dr Zhang’s predictions come shortly after a top academic warned that a second wave could be on its way to the UK.
Professor Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, said he thinks there is a "really bumpy" winter on the way, especially with the additional risk of flu.
Speaking on a Royal Society of Medicine webinar, Prof Bell said: "My bet is that we will get a second wave, and the vaccines won't get here in time to stop the second wave.
"And I'm not sure the new home testing is going to get there in time either, but it perhaps will take the edge off it.
"But then I suspect by Christmas or early in the new year, there may be more than one option for vaccines.
"My suspicion is the vaccines will work a bit, they won't sterilise people, but they'll take the edge off the disease, and they'll definitely be worth using in a population.
"But they won't... they're not going to solve this problem. And by the way, the rest of the world is still going to have Covid going through the winter."