Another warning! WHO says COVID-19 may never go away; Know more-

Geneva, May 14: "There is the possibility that the coronavirus may never go away and it could become just another virus like HIV infection, " World Health Organisation (WHO) executive director Michael J Ryan warned as the virus is growing exponentially across the world.

 

 

“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. Just like 'HIV' has never gone away, it will never disappear, " he said that adding that he is not comparing the two diseases but he thinks it is important that we are realistic.

 

Ryan said that it is important to be ‘realistic’ as no one can predict when or if this disease will disappear, and there is a "long, long way to go" on the path to returning to normal, insisting that countries would have to stay the course.

 

He said that the one great hope is that if scientists do find a “highly effective vaccine” to distribute to everyone who needs it in the world, there may be a “shot at eliminating this virus”.

 

However, more than 100 potential vaccines are being developed, including several in clinical trials, but experts have underscored the difficulties of finding vaccines that are effective against coronaviruses. Ryan noted that vaccines exist for other illnesses, such as measles, that have not been eliminated.

 

He believes that there is a “massive opportunity for the world” to turn “a tragic pandemic into a beacon of hope for the future,” urging the world to “work together to solve our problems through solidarity, through trust, through working together and through a multilateral system that can benefit mankind”.

 

The 'Virus' has infected almost 4.3 million people and led to over 291,000 deaths.