In the coming weeks, the first Australians will receive vaccinations against COVID-19, marking the next step in the battle against the virus.
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But vaccination isn't the end of the journey with COVID-19, with experts and political leaders signaling we should be ready for a "new normal" where the virus exists in the community, but doesn't pose the danger it once did.
Is the vaccine the end of the virus?
Unfortunately, no. As Australia's health officials have warned, vaccinating the population won't necessarily mean international borders will re-open and we never have to sing "Happy Birthday" while washing our hands again.
"Vaccination is not a panacea," Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney Robert Booy told the National Press Club on Wednesday.
"They're part of the big picture, they're a fantastic addition to all the other measures we're currently doing. We won't be able to stop washing hands and social distancing."
As Australian National University's Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake pointed out, only one infectious disease has ever been fully eradicated - smallpox.
"On the other end of the spectrum, we have four circulating coronaviruses that cause the common cold that have been around for decades," he said.
"And I suspect that COVID is going to mirror the trajectory of those particular organisms, becoming a persistent presence in our society leading to intermittent incursions causing some hospitalisations and deaths every year, but largely leaving untouched our vaccinated population."
What is happening around the world?
While Australia is gearing up to start vaccinations in a few weeks, and the government is promising that everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to have one by the end of the year, it's not the same story around the world. Inequity in vaccines is becoming a big issue.
"At the current rate of vaccination, it is estimated we won't reach global coverage of 75 per cent with vaccines for about six years - not one or two years, but six years," Professor Senanayake said.
"In addition, Oxfam has said that by the end of this year, there will be 70 poorer nations where only one in 10 people have been vaccinated."
Should we be worried about new variants of COVID-19?
While the two new variants of COVID-19 that are getting the most attention are predicted to become the dominant strains of the virus, experts say viruses mutate all the time, which is why we need new flu vaccinations each year.
Professor Senanayake said he was somewhat surprised the virus had mutated so quickly.
"The most likely reason for this is the sheer volume of infections we have seen in the last 12 months, where literally there have been hundreds of millions of opportunities for the virus to replicate and mutate into something more sinister," he said.
While there has been debate around how effective the vaccines will be against the new strains, new strains are precisely the reason Professor Senanayake says rich countries must invest in "vaccine altruism" and work to ensure poor countries get vaccinated as quickly as rich countries.
"If we continue this global vaccine rollout while in other parts of the world infection continues unchecked, then we will see more sinister strains emerge which might have further impacts on vaccine efficacy."
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