LONDON - Holding the delayed Olympic Games and Paralympics in
Tokyo next year is "very unrealistic" unless a vaccine against the
coronavirus has been found by then, a leading global health scientist
has warned, according to a BBC report Friday.
"We're hearing from the scientists that this could be possible. I had
thought it would be a year or a year and a half away but we're
hearing possibly this could come sooner," Professor Devi Sridhar,
chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh, told a news
conference.
"If we do get a vaccine within the next year then actually I think
that (Olympics) is realistic. The vaccine will be the game-changer -
an effective, affordable, available vaccine," Sridhar asserted.
"If we don't get a scientific breakthrough then I think that looks
very unrealistic," she added.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese
organizers agreed to postpone this summer's Tokyo Games to 2021 due
to the rapid worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus.
The rescheduled Olympic Games are to begin with an opening ceremony
on 23 July 2021 and close on 8 August.