COVID19 is here to stay, WHO says

Denis Gitau | May 14, 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that coronavirus may never go away and people will have to learn to live with it.

The warning from the UN health agency comes at a time when some countries are beginning to ease social distancing restrictions that were enforced to curb the spread of the contagious virus.

“It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away,” WHO emergencies chief Michael Ryan said.

“I think there are no promises in this and there are no dates.

This disease may settle into a long problem, or it may not be.”

Dr. Ryan said that just like HIV which has not gone away, the world must be prepared to live with the new virus.

He said that even with a vaccine, it would take a massive effort to eliminate the virus, noting that some illnesses such as measles still exist despite having vaccines.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stated in the briefing that the virus can still be defeated? "The trajectory is in our hands, and it's everybody's business, and we should all contribute to stopping this pandemic," he said.

He added that countries easing restrictions should still be on the highest alert to avert a second wave.

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