• May 14, 2020
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WHO: ‘This virus may never go away’

The world may have to accept that the new coronavirus may never go away, warned the World Health Organisation (WHO) Wednesday, 13 May. As some nations reopen their economies and ease their social distancing restrictions, the WHO cautioned that the disease might not be wiped out completely.

“We have a new virus entering the human population for the first time and therefore it is very hard to predict when we will prevail over it. This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away,” WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said at a virtual press conference in Geneva.

“HIV has not gone away, but we have come to terms with the virus,” Ryan added.

The virus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 and has since infected over 4.2 million people and killed almost 300,000 individuals across the globe. More than half of the world’s population has been put in a form of lockdown since the crisis began.

The United Nations agency also cautioned that relaxing measures could potentially trigger a second wave of infections. “Many countries would like to get out of the different measures, but our recommendation is still the alert at any country should be at the highest level possible,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Ryan also noted that there is still a “long, long way to go” ahead of the world before life can return to normal. He emphasised that countries must stay the course.

“There is some magical thinking going on that lockdowns work perfectly and that unlocking lockdowns will go great. Both are fraught with dangers,” the WHO epidemiologist warned.

The WHO reiterated that the way forward in conquering the virus is through finding a vaccine and making it accessible to the greater population.