Robert Koch Institute talks on coronavirus pandemic duration

The world is reeling over the coronavirus outbreak that grew into a global pandemic, and people are getting increasingly concerned about their future.

In this regard, the Robert Koch Institute tried to shed some light on this issue.

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic may last two years; the virus will spread in waves, said Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute for public health, Report informs referring to RIA Novosti.

“A pandemic develops in waves,” he said. “We know it exactly. But how fast are these waves? When will this pandemic infect up to 60-70 percent of the planet’s population? It can last for years.”

He added that the emergence of a vaccine or any “intervention” into the pandemic is beneficial.

“The sooner there is a vaccine, the earlier it will be possible to limit this pandemic,” Wieler said. “But even when there is a vaccine, this doesn’t mean that everyone will be vaccinated. This will be related to the number of vaccines.”

The outbreak in China’s Wuhan city - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 7,170. Over 182,725 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 79,880 people have reportedly recovered.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11.