Not possible to end this virus; pandemic viruses end up becoming part of ecosystem: WHO official

It is not possible to end COVID-19 virus as such viruses never go away and end up becoming part of ecosystem, a top WHO official said on Tuesday but asserted that it is possible to end this year public health emergency caused by COVID-19 with a collaborative approach to fix inherent inequities in system.

Speaking at World Economic Forum's online Davos Agenda 2022 summit, World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Michael Ryan said what needs to be done is to ensure a really low level of disease incidence with maximum vaccination of entire world population.

"That will be end of public health emergency in my view and that would be an end to this pandemic," he said while ding that re was a chance to achieve it this year itself.

worldwide spre of dely virus, which was first reported in China's Wuhan in late 2019, has seen more than 33 crore confirmed cases globally and over 55.5 lakh deaths so far.

World Health Organization (WHO) h declared outbreak a 'public health emergency of international concern' on January 30, 2020, and a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

However, emergence of its fast-spreing Omicron variant, resulting in re-introduction of national lockdowns, travel bans and quarantines in various parts of world, has reinforced uncertainty of COVID-19 pandemic.

"We won't end virus this year. We may never end this virus. Pandemic viruses end up becoming part of ecosystem," Ryan said.

"What we can end is public health emergency this year, but issue is about deaths, about hospitalisations and about destruction of social, economic and political systems that have caused tragedy. virus is just a vehicle," he said.

WHO official said it is reaction of society to virus that caused tragedy as he blamed " inequity including in access to health facilities and all those long-standing social inequities and those huge inequities not just between countries but also internal inequities within countries".

"Yes, we have a chance to end this public health emergency this year if we do right things to fix se inequities. But reality is this tragedy will continue," he said.

Ryan also sought to warn against an emerging narrative on wher COVID-19 pandemic is on its way to becoming endemic in nature.

"Endemic just means it is here forever. Even endemic diseases kill hundreds of thousands of people and we should not think that a pandemic becoming endemic is good thing," he ded.

Speaking at same session, Oxfam International Executive Director Gabriela Bucher said it is possible to end pandemic if we overhaul model rically to ensure a truly equitable distribution.

ar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, said definition of pandemic is evolving every day. "I am not an expert, but re will be a point when we reach a certain level of vaccination, hopefully by end of this year, when everyone is double or triple vaccinated, n probably we can say that. And also that would depend on what kinds of new variants emerge and hospitalisation levels remaining under control," he ded.

He was replying to a question on wher an end to pandemic could be in sight.

Seth F Berkley, CEO of Gavi vaccine alliance, said COVAX programme has been successful, but not without its speed bumps along way.

WHO has also been criticising unequal distribution of vaccines and has been asking manufacturers and or countries to contribute to COVAX, UN-backed programme for supplying vaccines to poor countries. So far, it has delivered 1 billion doses.

According to WHO, 36 of its 194 member countries have vaccinated less than 10 per cent of population and 88 have inoculated under 40 per cent.

Poonawalla, whose Serum Institute of India has been a key member of GAVI alliance, said his company is rey to support pool towards reaching global vaccine equity.

John Nkengasong, Director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said greater cooperation and greater solidarity will be way forward if we want this pandemic to end.