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A senior World Health Organization official warned on Wednesday not to try to predict when COVID-19 will disappear. Instead, WHO Director of Emergencies Dr. Mike Ryan said the new coronavirus will be difficult to eliminate entirely.
According to the latest data from John Hopkins University, more than 4.4 million people worldwide have been infected and almost 300,000 have died from COVID-19. And the end of the virus may not be in sight anytime soon, Ryan said.
“I think it’s important to put this on the table: This virus can become another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus will never go away,” said Ryan.
He mentioned the fact that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, still exists a few decades later, but therapies have allowed people with the virus to live “long and healthy lives.”
“HIV has not disappeared, but we have come to terms with the virus and we have found the therapies and we have found the prevention methods and people are not as scared as before,” he said. “And we are offering people with HIV life. Long and healthy lives for people with HIV. And I am not comparing the two diseases, but I think it is important that we are realistic. And I do not think that anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear “.
According to the WHO, more than 100 possible coronavirus vaccines are being developed. Ryan expressed optimism about “getting rid of this virus” if a vaccine is developed and distributed worldwide. “That vaccine will have to be available, it will have to be highly effective, it will have to be available to everyone and we will have to use it,” he said.
But Ryan pointed out that the existence of a vaccine It does not guarantee global protection. He mentioned that before the pandemic occurred, medical teams worked with young children in Samoa who used ventilators: the children became ill with measles and were not vaccinated against it, although safe and effective vaccine It has been around for decades.
Forgive me if I’m cynical but we have perfectly effective vaccines on this planet that we have not effectively used for diseases that we could eliminate and eradicate, and we have not, “he said.
Even with a vaccine, Ryan said that each step in the fight against the virus has its challenges, but overcoming them will serve as a window to countries working together in the future.
“It is a great opportunity for the world,” he said. “The idea that a new disease could emerge, cause a pandemic, and we could, with a massive shot on the moon, find a vaccine and give it to all who need it and stop this disease at any given time, perhaps what has As a tragic pandemic, it becomes a beacon of hope for the future of our planet in the way we care for our citizens. ”
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