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Experts say the disease can be part of society in the same way as HIV.
The coronavirus “may never go away,” warned the World Health Organization (WHO).
In an online conference on Wednesday, WHO Director of Emergencies Mike Ryan opposed the attempt to predict when the virus will disappear.
He added that even if a vaccine is found, controlling the virus will require “a lot of effort.”
Almost 300,000 people worldwide have already died from the coronavirus. More than 4.3 million cases have been reported.
For its part, the UN warned that the pandemic is causing widespread suffering and mental health problems, particularly in countries where there is a lack of investment in this area. The agency urged governments to include mental health considerations as part of their overall response to the crisis.
Why does the coronavirus never go away?
“It is important to clarify: this virus can become another endemic virus in our communities and never disappear,” Ryan from Geneva said at the virtual press conference.
“HIV has not disappeared, but we have learned to deal with the virus.”
Ryan said he didn’t think “anyone can predict when this disease will go away.”
For him, the world has “an opportunity” to eliminate the virus, but a vaccine would have to be available, it would have to be highly effective and available to everyone. “The disease may or may not become a long-term problem.”
There are currently more than 100 possible vaccines under development, but Ryan noted that there are other diseases, such as measles, that have not yet been eliminated, despite vaccines against them.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that it is still possible to control the virus with effort.
“The trajectory is in our hands, and it is everyone’s business, and we must all contribute to ending this pandemic,” he said.
WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove also said at the briefing: “We need to get used to the idea that it will take some time to get out of this pandemic.”
These placements came at a time when several countries are gradually decreasing quarantines and reopening their economies.
WHO’s Tedros warned that there is no guaranteed way to ease restrictions without triggering a second wave of infections.
“Many countries would like to stop taking different measures,” said the WHO chief. “But our recommendation is that the alert in any country should be at the highest possible level.”
Ryan added: “There are those who think blockages are perfect or that relieving them would be great. Both are dangerous.”
