There will be social distancing strategies for "a very long time" until a vaccine is developed to bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, a public health expert from the Harvard School of Public Health has told CGTN's The Agenda program.

Stephen Kissler, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Evan Bloch, associate professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine told The Agenda's Stephen Cole, it's only really the discovery of an effective vaccine that will end the spread of the virus.

"If we don't have a treatment or vaccine, we will have to be social distancing for a very long time, until we build up an immunity," said Kissler. 

He adds that too much social distancing can also have a negative impact, saying: "We've heard reports of people who might not be going to the hospital for other severe conditions for fear of contracting COVID-19."

While a vaccine is being developed, Bloch is working on a plasma transfusion, taking antibodies from recovered patients and giving them to the sick. 

"This is a temporary measure, pending availability of more defined strategies," Bloch said.

Check out The Pandemic Playbook, CGTN Europe's major investigation into the lessons learnt from COVID-19.