Senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official, Michael J
Ryan on Wednesday said the coronavirus may become another just another virus in
the world community like HIV infection, and may never go away.
IMAGE: A woman carrying her child arrives from Delhi
at Mumbai Central station following the resumption of passenger train services
by Indian Railways connecting major cities, during the ongoing COVID-19
lockdown, in Mumbai, on Thursday. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo
"This virus just may
become another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go
away. HIV has not gone away," Dr Ryan, executive director of the WHO
health emergencies programme, was quoted as saying by CNN.
"I am not comparing
the two diseases but I think it is important that we are realistic. I do not
think anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear," Ryan
added.
He also said lifting
coronavirus restrictions while the case count is still high could lead to the
renewed massive transmission of the virus and another possible lockdown.
"If you can get the
day-to-day number to the lowest possible level and get as much virus out of the
community as possible, then when you open, you will tend to have less transmission
or much less risk.
"If you reopen in the
presence of a high degree of virus transmission, then that transmission may
accelerate," Ryan was quoted as saying by Sputnik.
Over the issue of attacks
on ethnic minorities in certain countries over COVID-19, Ryan said that
coronavirus is bringing the 'best in us and also some of the worst in us'.
On the issue of vaccine, he
added, "We may have a shot at eliminating this virus but that vaccine will
have to be available, it will have to be highly effective, it will have to be
made available to everyone and we'll have to use it."
According to the WHO, so
far, a total of 4,170,424 number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been
reported including 287,399 fatalities.
WHO had declared
coronavirus a pandemic on March 11, and it has been giving daily situation
report on the infection since January 21.