Coronavirus may never go away, WHO warns
The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could become endemic like HIV. More than 100 potential vaccines are being developed but experts stress the difficulty in finding one that is effective.
Amid the rising coronavirus COVID-19 cases across the world, World Health Organisation (WHO) executive director Michael J Ryan on Wednesday (May 13) said the coronavirus may never go away and it could become just another virus like HIV infection.
As some countries begin gradually easing lockdown restrictions, the WHO said COVID-19 may never be wiped out entirely.
“It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away,” WHO emergencies expert Mike Ryan told an online briefing.
“I think it is important we are realistic and I don’t think anyone can predict when this disease will disappear,” he added. “I think there are no promises in this and there are no dates. This disease may settle into a long problem, or it may not be.”
However, he said the world had some control over how it coped with the disease, although this would take a “massive effort” even if a vaccine was found — a prospect he described as a “massive moonshot”.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added: “The trajectory is in our hands, and it’s everybody’s business, and we should all contribute to stop this pandemic.
“Many countries would like to get out of the different measures,” said Tedros. “But our recommendation is still the alert at any country should be at the highest level possible.”
But the WHO warned there was no way to guarantee that easing the restrictions would not trigger a second wave of infections.
But he insisted that in finding a way to conquer the virus was a chance for humanity to take major step forward by finding a vaccine and making it widely accessible.
Despite the risk that loosening restrictions could lead to infection spikes, European nations have been seeking to restart cross-border travel, particularly as the summer holiday season looms for countries whose economies rely on tourists flocking to their beaches, museums and historical sites.
Almost 300,000 people worldwide are reported to have died with coronavirus, and more than 4.3m cases recorded.
The UN meanwhile warned the pandemic was causing widespread distress and mental ill health – particularly in countries where there’s a lack of investment in mental healthcare.
The UN urged governments to make mental health considerations part of their overall response.
