Johnson: Humanity 'will adapt to Coronavirus' - BBC News
The prime minister echoes his health secretary, saying we will have to live with Covid in the longer term.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that, with the support of vaccines and new treatments, Covid-19 will become a " treatable disease" that we "have to live with, like we do flu".

But there are experts who warn we are still "a long way" from being able to treat the virus as we do flu - with mutations getting "more dangerous" and "more infectious"

Dr Richard Horton has suggested it would up to four years to build up sufficient levels of immunity in the population, but agreed we can't live under restrictive measure indefinitely.

BBC Health Correspondent Nick Triggle says it's simply about being realistic:

"Covid isn't something that can be eradicated like smallpox.

"Temporary suppression, which is essentially what countries like New Zealand have done, is about protecting people in the short-term. Unless they keep their borders shut forever, it cannot work long-term.

"Vaccines mean immunity builds up and, at the very least, should stop most people falling seriously ill.

"There will be an ongoing challenge of keeping up with a virus that will mutate - although this is likely to be less difficult than it seems as coronaviruses tend to be much more stable than flu, for which different strains circulate every year.

"There will always be people who are susceptible, either the vaccine doesn't work or they have refused to have it. That is why the continued advances in treatments are essential.

"But we should never again see the levels of deaths we have.

"Thousands will still die in winters to come. But each year this should lessen until it gets near to the levels of mortality we see with flu - something which society readily accepts."