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The coronavirus could become endemic like HIV and populations around the world will have to learn to live with it, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.
As some countries gradually ease the blockade restrictions, the WHO said COVID-19 could never be completely phased out.
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“It is important to put this on the table: this virus can become another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never disappear. HIV has not disappeared, but we have come to terms with the virus,” WHO expert Mike Ryan said in an online briefing.
“I think it is important that we are realistic and I do not think that anyone can predict when this disease will disappear. I think there are no promises in this and there are no dates. This disease may become a long problem or it may not be.”
‘Massive moon shot’
However, Ryan said the world had some control over how he dealt with the disease, although this would require “massive effort” even if a vaccine were found, a prospect he described as “a massive shot at the moon.”
More than 100 potential vaccines are being developed, including several in clinical trials, but experts have highlighted the difficulties of finding those that are effective against coronaviruses.
Ryan noted that there are vaccines for other diseases, such as measles, that have not been eliminated.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added: “The trajectory is in our hands, and it is everyone’s business, and we should all contribute to stopping this pandemic.
“Many countries would like to get out of the different measures,” said Tedros. “But our recommendation remains that the alert in any country should be at the highest possible level.”
Ryan said “very significant control” of the virus was required to lower the risk assessment, which he said remained high at “national, regional and global levels.”
More than half of humanity has been subjected to some form of blockade since the coronavirus crisis began in January.
Governments around the world are struggling with the question of how to reopen their economies while still containing the virus, which has infected nearly 4.3 million people and caused more than 291,000 deaths.
The European Union pushed Wednesday for a gradual reopening of borders within the pandemic-closed bloc, saying it was not too late to save part of the summer tourist season and keep people safe.
But public health experts say extreme caution is needed to avoid new outbreaks. Ryan said opening land borders was less risky than facilitating air travel, which was a “different challenge.”
“We need to have the mentality that it will take some time to get out of this pandemic,” WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove said at the briefing.
‘Acts of senseless violence’
Ryan also condemned the attacks on health workers linked to the pandemic, saying that in April alone there were more than 35 “fairly serious” incidents in 11 countries.
He said the attacks were often overreactions from misinformed communities, while others were more sinister.
“COVID-19 is bringing out the best in us, but it is also bringing out some of the worst,” he said. “People feel empowered to take out their frustrations on people who are simply trying to help. These are acts of senseless violence and discrimination that must be resisted.”
Ryan insisted that finding a way to conquer the virus was an opportunity for humanity to take a big step forward in finding a vaccine and making it widely accessible. “It is a great opportunity for the world,” he said.
