Tokyo 2020 said 'unrealistic' in 2021 unless Covid-19 vaccine found

A passerby wearing a protective face mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease walking past a screen displaying logos of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Holding the delayed Olympic Games and Paralympics in Tokyo next year is "very unrealistic" unless a vaccine against the coronavirus has been found by then, a leading global health scientist has warned, according to a BBC report on a Saturday (April 18). - Reuters

TOKYO: Holding the delayed Olympic Games and Paralympics in Tokyo next year is "very unrealistic" unless a vaccine against the coronavirus has been found by then, a leading global health scientist has warned, according to a BBC report on a Saturday (Apr 18).

"We're hearing from the scientists that this could be possible. I had thought it would be a year or a year and a half away but we're hearing possibly this could come sooner," Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh, told a news conference.

"If we do get a vaccine within the next year then actually I think that (Olympics) is realistic. The vaccine will be the game-changer - an effective, affordable, available vaccine," Sridhar asserted.

"If we don't get a scientific breakthrough then I think that looks very unrealistic," she added.

Last month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese organizers agreed to postpone this summer’s Tokyo Games to 2021 due to the rapid worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus.

The rescheduled Olypmic Games are to begin with an opening ceremony on 23 July 2021 and close on 8 August. - dpa