Covid restrictions need to be in place until 2022 due to mutant strains, warn scientists

Coronavirus restrictions should not not ease until next year because of aggressive mutant strains, according to researchers.

Despite access to vaccines, the UK need to be under a certain level of lockdown as jabs are “insufficient” to allow normality “within a year,” say scientists.

If restrictions are eased it could lead to thousands of hospitalisations and deaths.

The conclusion has been reached by researchers who modelled what could happen in the next few months with the vaccine rollout.

Scientists presented their findings to Sage on January 14, and concluded the likelihood of “further disease” if restrictions are eased.

The document presented by Warwick University researchers says: “With the new aggressive covid strain, likely transmission efficacies prove insufficient to prevent further infection outbreaks across the population.

“This means that the proportion of individuals that do not accept the vaccine together with the proportion for whom it is ineffective in protecting, may still account for significant further severe disease even after the program is completed.

“We see that even with the highest possible uptake and fastest vaccination program, full relaxation by the time schools return in September would still result in significant further disease.”

Under the predicted model, scientists assessed the impact of easing restrictions gradually from February onwards, reports The Sun.

Assuming an R rate of 0.8 from February, if Brits return to normal by July there will be another wave in the late summer, claims the report.

Easing restrictions in early 2022 will also result in similar number of deaths we are currently experiencing warns the study.

This is because there will still be a substantial amount of people who refuse or cannot have the vaccine, meaning transmissions could quickly soar.

While none of the jabs give complete coverage against the virus.

If the Rule of Six, social distancing and face masks in shops and public transport, as well as a curfew were in place, from September, another wave could be avoided, it adds.