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The chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO), Soumya Swaminathan, on January 12, 2020 in Geneva.
FABRICE COFFRINI | AFP via Getty Images
The coronavirus pandemic may continue in the second half of the decade, a senior global health official warned, as the death toll from the virus nears the shadowy milestone of 300,000.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, said Wednesday in the Financial Times Global Boardroom webinar: “I would say that within four to five years, we could be looking to control this ”
Swaminathan said a vaccine appeared to be the “best way out” today, but noted that there were many “buts” about its safety, production and fair distribution.
The development of an effective vaccine and successful containment measures were both factors that would ultimately determine the duration of the pandemic, he added, the FT reported.
To date, more than 4.3 million people have contracted the Covid-19 infection, with 297,465 deaths worldwide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The virus may “never go away”
A global public health crisis has meant that countries have had to effectively close, with many world leaders imposing strict restrictions on the daily lives of billions of people.
The closure measures, which vary in application but generally include school closings, bans on public gatherings, and social distancing, are expected to result in the worst economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
In recent weeks, some countries have tried to gradually ease restrictions, allowing some stores and factories to reopen.
People wear a protective mask due to the new coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, this Thursday morning, on Avenida Paulista, in the central region of the city of Sao Paulo.
Fabio Vieira | FotoRua | NurPhoto via Getty Images
However, the emergence of new cases of Covid-19 in South Korea and China has exacerbated concerns about the potential for a second wave of infections.
The International Energy Agency estimated on Thursday that the number of people living under some form of containment measures in late May would drop to 2.8 billion people worldwide, below a recent peak of 4 billion.
At a separate press conference, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO emergency program, said at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday that the coronavirus “will never go away.”
When asked to address Swaminathan’s comments earlier in the day, Ryan said that no one could accurately predict when the disease could go away.
He added that trying to control the virus would require “massive effort,” even if a vaccine is found.
