Australians are warned life will not return to normal until 2022 when 80% of the population is vaccinated - with no guarantees of overseas travel

Life will not return to normal in Australia until 2022 at the earlier due to continued uncertainty surrounding Covid vaccines, virus experts have warned.  

While the Morrison government has announced Australians will be inoculated from mid February, Professor Sarah Palmer said 80% of the population will need to be immunised before vaccine effectiveness can be determined.

While the vaccine has been shown to reduce symptoms of the virus, scientists don't know how long immunity lasts or if it will stop transmission of the disease.    

Life may not be close to normal until 2022 when 80% of population are vaccinated

PM Scott Morrison said coronavirus vaccines will be rolled out in mid-February

Australia needs four in five people to be vaccinated to return to normal, which is likely to take until the end of the year, Dr Palmer, from the Westmead Institute, told Daily Mail Australia. 

'Even if people are vaccinated and they receive booth boosters, we have no idea how long the immunity in some of these vaccines will last.'

Scientist Dr Sarah Palmer said it is unknown if vaccine will stop COVID transmission

'The may be making an infection less difficult,' Dr Palmer explained. 

'But they may not be preventing infection.

'So it could mean that you are still infected and could still spread the disease to others even if you're vaccinated.'   

'It will take time. And I think to be honest, we won't have everyone vaccinated until the end of 2021 into 2022,' Dr Palmer cautioned. 

'So it really requires 80% of the population to be vaccinated to protect the whole society.' 

Professor Tony Blakely from Melbourne University predicted life will be 'severely abnormal' until at least October, and that at least 65 per cent of Australians will need to get the jab.

'I think with the UK variant here, we're actually going to be very abnormal from now until either 65 plus or 75 plus of us get vaccinated,' Dr Blakely said.

'I don't think we'll be seeing any more cricket Tests, I suspect we might even see the Melbourne Australian Open not proceed.'

Another expert said the UK virus might make life 'severely abnormal' until October 2020

Vaccines have been shown to reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms but it is not known if they stop people having or spreading the disease.

Dr Blakely said the vaccines Australia will have access to - from Pfizer and Moderna - are about 95% effective at stopping severe illness.

He predicted the vaccines will lower infection rates, even if just by reducing how much of the disease is spread by those who are infected.   

'If we've got the majority of the population vaccinated, even if the virus is transmitting at that stage there won't be much serious illness except amongst those people who didn't get immunised or who unfortunately didn't respond fully to the vaccine,' said Dr Blakely. 

'But they will still get some protection.' 

Dr Palmer warned we don't know how long immunity lasts from the vaccines, and said overseas travel will also depend on vaccine roll outs in other countries.  

And even if 80 per cent of the population is inoculated, life won't be the same as it was before COVID-19.

Dr Blakely said there will still be occasional small outbreaks in groups who refuse the vaccine and those who don't respond fully it. 

He said some people's immune systems won't take to the vaccine fully and if the vaccine isn't properly stored its effectiveness may be reduced.   

Both experts say the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are safe and it is important Australians take it to protect the community.

Dr Blakely said there has been 'no convincing evidence' of serious side effects so far and getting the vaccine is 'a damn sight safer than waiting to get the actual infection.' 

'Tens thousands of people have been inoculated by these vaccines and there have been very few side effects,' said Dr Palmer adding it is safer than most medications we use in daily life because of the stringent testing procedures. 

'Getting vaccinated will protect yourself, your neighbours, your family and then hopefully it will allow us to get back to our normal lives,' she said.

WHEN WILL LIFE RETURN TO NORMAL?