Coronavirus 22 April 2020 Chief medical officer: Expect “very socially disruptive” measures until vaccine or drug treatment ready Sign UpGet the New Statesman\'s Morning Call email. Sign-up The British public should expect "very socially disruptive" restrictions until a coronavirus vaccine or effective drug treatment is ready, which is unlikely to happen this year, the government's chief medical adviser has said. Professor Chris Whitty said there were two options for exiting the coronavirus crisis: first, a "highly effective vaccine", or second, "highly effective drugs" against Covid-19. "Until we have those, and the probability of having those in the next calendar year are incredibly small, and I think we should be realistic about that, we're going to have to rely on other social measures, which of course are very socially disruptive as everyone is finding at the moment... it's going to take a long time." › The pandemic has made this much clear: those running the US have no idea what it costs to live here