A second wave of coronavirus in Canada is a real possibility, according to Canadian health experts.

Last week, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam warned Canadians that "this virus is going to be with us for some time. It will not be eradicated from the world in months."

"We will need to be prepared for another wave, potentially."

Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo echoed Tam's words, saying that a second wave is certainly a possibility and that Canada is in it for "the long haul."

We'll be grappling with COVID-19 for "many months," Dr. Howard Njoo says - "It won't be days or weeks."

— John Paul Tasker (@JPTasker) March 27, 2020

Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has discussed the possibility of "future resurgences" of the virus.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Trudeau said that Canada will support vulnerable countries financially in a bid to eliminate COVID-19 globally.

"This virus will possibly face resurgences, even once we’ve handled it in Canada and many countries," Trudeau said. "Our ability to minimize those resurgences will be linked to our ability to help and work with countries in more dire situations."

Trudeau says govt will be participating in international efforts to comat COVID-19.

He says support for vulnerable countries struggling to combat this virus is not just about being altruistic, its about keeping Cdn's safe as well, because of potential for future resurgences.

— Neetu Garcha (@NeetuGarcha) March 26, 2020

The World Health Organization warns that pandemic waves may "be separated by months" and that an immediate "at-ease" signal can be premature.

The Spanish Flu, for example, came in multiple waves; the first wave took place in the spring of 1918, and the second in the fall of 1918, when the virus mutated to become dangerously contagious and deadly.

Similarly, the H1N1 outbreak of 2009 had two waves in Canada: the first occurred in May, and the second, in October. Canada reported "improved outcomes" during the second wave of H1N1, although it was substantially larger than the first.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Jeff Kwong says that if Canada does experience a second wave, it will likely occur once the social distancing measures are relaxed.

It is a fundamental scientific error to take the current success of containment in some places as a sign that permanent containment is possible. We should work to make it possible, but 1918 flu and, frankly, the germ theory of disease show that containment is a temporary victory

— Marc Lipsitch (@mlipsitch) March 27, 2020

Fortunately, Canadian researchers are already working around the clock to develop a vaccine before the second wave occurs.

At least four groups of Canadian researchers are now conducting drug trials to find a treatment for COVID-19, and 20 hospitals across the country are testing drug combinations on patients.

Canadian researchers predict that a COVID-19 vaccine could be ready as soon as 2021.