Lockdowns shouldn't end until COVID-19 vaccine is found, says study

A new study has warned that countries wanting to lift lockdown restrictions should maintain movement control measures until a vaccine against the coronavirus is discovered.

The study was based on China’s trajectory of the coronavirus pandemic.

China entered its lockdown on January 23, after the outbreak began spreading rapidly from Wuhan. Restrictions in several Chinese provinces were gradually relaxed since February 17. The lockdown in Wuhan ended on Wednesday.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Researchers in Hong Kong said the potential for a second wave of COVID-19 -- a disease caused by coronavirus -- infections could increase “exponentially” if measures are relaxed too quickly and governments become complacent.

The study, published in The Lancet medical journal, used a model based on COVID-19 reproduction data from 10 Chinese provinces with the highest number of confirmed cases.

Furthermore, restrictions on daily life in China had been effective in reducing the number of coronavirus infections. But as soon as the Chinese government began to lift measures, a second wave of infections became apparent.

The researchers said their findings were critical for countries in the early stages of a similar lockdown. The UK is entering its fourth week of lockdown, with all but key workers advised to stay and work from home wherever possible and most shops shut down. India was scheduled to lift restriction on April 14 -- which is still subject to discussions.

The only limitations in the study are that the estimated reproductive numbers were based on the reported number of positive coronavirus cases, and that time and dates of symptom onset were not available for some provinces.