the coronavirus pandemic is likely to last as long as two years and wont be controlled until about twothirds of the worlds population is immune a group of experts said in a reportbecause of its ability to spread from people who dont appear to be ill the virus may be harder to control than influenza the cause of most pandemics in recent history according to the report from the center for infectious disease research and policy at the university of minnesota people may actually be at their most infectious before symptoms appear according to the reportafter locking down billions of people around the world to minimize its spread through countries governments are now cautiously allowing businesses and public places to reopen yet the coronavirus pandemic is likely to continue in waves that could last beyond 2022 the authors saidrisk communication messaging from government officials should incorporate the concept that this pandemic will not be over soon they said and that people need to be prepared for possible periodic resurgences of disease over the next two yearsdevelopers are rushing to make vaccines that may be available in small quantities as early as this year while large amounts of vaccine against the 20092010 flu pandemic didnt become available until after the outbreak peaked in the us one study has estimated that the shots prevented as many as 15 million cases and 500 deaths in that country alone the report saidthe report was written by cidrap director michael osterholm and medical director kristen moore tulane university public health historian john barry and marc lipsitch an epidemiologist at the harvard school of public health