Society might not return to normal until 2022 – WHO scientist

Society is unlikely to return to normal until “well into next year”, one of the world’s leading scientists has said.

Prof Helen Rees, who sits on the World Health Organization’s committee for Covid-19, says “first generation” vaccines may become less effective against new variants of coronavirus.

As a result, she tells BBC Wales Live, high-volume rollout of the jabs may not happen until 2022.

Prof Rees says clinical trials into the efficacy of the Novavax and Janssen vaccines against the South African variant suggest there is “reduced impact”.

She says scientists are “concerned” the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs could also see reduced efficacy because they use the “original virus from China”, while increasing numbers of variants are in circulation.