The director general of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the coronavirus as a “once-in-a-century health crisis” that could spread rapidly, similar to the 1918 pandemic, and said he hoped it would be over in 2 year.
But he also said that due to technological advances in medicine in the last century, there is a greater possibility that it can be stopped before that level of destruction is reached.
“We hope to end this pandemic (in) less than two years, especially if we can pool our efforts,” Tedros said Friday in a press release.
The coronavirus has infected 22.7 million people worldwide and killed nearly 800,000 people, according to data from John Hopkins University Friday.
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The 1918 impact affected 500 million people and killed about 50 million worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
WHO’s head of Health Emergencies, Dr Michael Ryan, also pointed out the differences between the coronavirus and the 1918 flu.
Ryan noted that there were three distinct waves that occurred with the 1918 pandemic, the second wave being the most devastating to the population.
“This virus does not show a similar wave-like pattern,” Ryan said. “If the virus is not under control, it immediately jumps to the top.”
The flu also works seasonally and this has not been the case for the coronavirus, which has remained strong over the summer in some parts of the world, including the US
“This means that each individual and family has a responsibility to know the level of transmission locally, and to understand what they can do to protect themselves and others,” Tedros said Friday.
“Throughout history, outbreaks and pandemics have changed economies and societies. This will not be any different, ”he added.
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Tedros explained that the lack of pollution of a world that has been paused by the pandemic has created a new ‘impetus’ in countries worldwide to maintain the healthier living standards for environment that have emerged.
“The pandemic has given us a glimpse of the world as it could be: cleaner skies and rivers,” Tedros said, before using a catch grass that has gained political significance in the US. “Building better means rebuilding greener.”
The WHO could not be reached to confirm whether Tedros intended to use a sentence implied by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign slogan, “Building Better Better.”
The Trump administration has been highly critical of the WHO, accusing it of China-centric policies, and pulling the US out of the organization in July.
The Director-General said that the global community should use the pandemic recovery as an opportunity to begin making changes that will address climate change and environmental discrimination.
“Forty million healthcare professionals from 90 countries have sent a letter to G20 leaders calling for a healthy recovery from COVID-19,” he said. “And we’ve seen a lot of examples of countries acting to protect lives, livelihoods and the planet on which they depend.”
Tedros stated that the UK had its lowest coal emissions, the most polluting form of energy, in 250 years by 2020, following the pandemic.
Pakistan has set up a ‘green incentive’ scheme, which pays people who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus to plant trees.
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Spain has become one of the fastest decarbonizing nations in the world, shutting down seven of the country’s 15 coal-fired power stations.
And Portugal will be coal-free next year.
Hardship is an opportunity to learn, grow and change, Tedros said.
“COVID-19 is a once-in-a-century health crisis,” he reiterated. “But it also gives us the opportunity once a century to shape the world our children will inherit – the world we want.”
