London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Coronavirus: social distancing remains the best strategy, experts tell Facebook’s Covid Frontline event co-hosted by SCMP

With vaccines, treatments at least a year away, pathology expert John Nicholls and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison say avoiding contact is our best hope. Experts gather for Facebook programme Covid Frontline, co-hosted by the Post, as global Covid-19 infections surpass 1 million

Social distancing remains the best universal strategy against the coronavirus as vaccines or treatments are still at least a year away, health experts in Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore have said on a Facebook show co-hosted by the South China Morning Post.

As the number of Covid-19 infections sweeping the globe surpassed 1 million, a panel of leading medical specialists from the Asia-Pacific shared their experiences on internet programme Covid Frontline, which was broadcast on Friday and co-organised by Facebook, the Post and two other leading newsrooms, 7NEWS in Sydney and The Straits Times in Singapore.

The show is now available on demand through Facebook Watch.

John Nicholls, clinical professor in pathology at the University of Hong Kong, said the seasonal nature of the coronavirus would give the northern hemisphere “a break” in the coming summer months, but warned people not to let their guard down and continue to exercise social distancing.

“As there are no vaccines for another year and there are no really good antibiotics, the best method we have now, which have been used around the world, is social methods – social distancing and quarantine measures,” he said. “That’s the best we have to keep the virus away.”

Hong Kong escalated its social-distancing measures by forcing the closure of all pubs and bars from Friday evening. The number of cases in Hong Kong and Singapore rose to 845 and 1,114 respectively on Friday, while the Australia figure has exceeded 5,200.

In the global race to develop immunisation against the deadly disease, Wang Lingfa, director of emerging infectious diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, noted that China and the United States had both started a Phase I clinical trial of a vaccine against the virus, but said they were just “vaccine candidates”.

“For licensed vaccines for mass vaccination, it will take six to 12 months from now,” said Wang, who was on the World Health Organisation committee that declared the Covid-19 a global pandemic.

Alexander Cook, vice-dean for research at National University of Singapore’s school of public health, assured that mutations of the virus recently found by Icelandic scientists would not affect vaccine development as small mutations were “not uncommon”.

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison, featuring in a pre-recorded interview, said his government would continue to implement social distancing while trying to minimise social disruption, appealing to people to live the “whole new normal” until vaccines were developed.

“This is not something that just comes and goes in a couple of weeks,” he said. “We think six months is a reasonable estimate at this moment. I certainly hope this might be sooner than that but it could also be longer.”

During the show, experts also answered questions submitted by the global audience via Facebook and Instagram platforms.

When asked whether certain blood types were more susceptible to the virus, Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, an infectious disease adviser to the Hong Kong government, said there was no reliable proof on the link between blood type and susceptibility.

Having reviewed a study conducted by mainland Chinese researchers which suggested that blood group O had a lower risk of the disease while blood group A were more susceptible to being infected, he said there were major limitations of the findings.

“This was only a small study. They did not control existing illnesses [of the tested population]. I don’t believe it,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×