A thread. Lots of talk about needing to come to terms with Covid as an endemic threat like seasonal flu. Given only Polio has ever been totally irradiated clearly the long term is going to be a place where the reality is we will continue to protect ourselves from the virus.

Whilst we should plan, and look forward to a more normal future. Now is not the time to let hope lead us into making bad choices which mean the long term is not as safe and open as we all want it to be.

For Covid to be more like flu, a potentially deadly disease but one which we can largely manage, quite a lot needs to have happened. At the moment whilst vaccination is happening so e in the UK much of the rest of the world is still waiting for mass vaccinations.

Global supplies must be assured for everyone and affordable in every country. We need to maintain a high level of research and pharmaceutical effort to keep up with genetic variation in Covid. High levels of vaccination in one country are not enough to hold off Covid permanently.

It isn’t clear yet if any vaccines stop or cut transmission. So until everyone is vaccinated or we have proof vaccination stops transmission, social distancing will be needed. Some of the basic hygiene measures we have adopted have also reduced other diseases.

We should learn from Covid. Maintaining levels of infection control could have long term benefits in reducing flu, norovirus and other illnesses. Care homes, hospitals and businesses may need to make some of their Covid measures more permanent as basic public health measures.

We should not forget that even if Covid does become a serious season threat ore like flu, flu outs a huge strain on health and social care, and cost the economy in lost productivity, every year. We will need expanded NHS capacity to meet the annual Covid surge in future years.

That extra capacity is on top of the long term demands Covid has created for health and care. Covid rehab, long Covid treatment and the exacerbation of existing conditions left untreated all mean we must have extra NHS investment to be able to see Covid as just part of life.

Covid has highlighted the inequality in our society, economy and healthcare. It is unacceptable to simply ignore this in the living with Covid world. The struggle with Covid will need to become the struggle for a fairer society. That will mean a more interventionist state.

So, moving to a living with Covid world is not just a matter of reopening pubs and schools. It can’t happen overnight. If we try to jump ahead without addressing the long term action needed we will find the same challenges emerging again. End.