WHO warns coronavirus outbreak is 'not even close to being over'

While many countries have started lifting COVID-19 restrictions to kickstart the plunging economy, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief has warned on June 29 that “we’re in this for the long haul”. The coronavirus contagion has now infected over 10.3 million people across the globe and has caused over half a million deaths but WHO Secretary-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that it is “not even close to getting over”. Nearly six months after the first coronavirus clusters were reported in China, the WHO chief noted that “the virus still has a lot of room to move”. 

Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the life of millions across the world has taken an unprecedented turn. From wearing facemasks to maintaining social distancing, avoiding travelling among many other recommended guidelines by health professionals, the coronavirus outbreak has impacted mental as well as the socio-economic status of many. However, while the WHO chief acknowledged that everyone “wants this to be over”, according to him, “most people” still are susceptible to contracting the fatal pathogen. However, Tedros has encouraged people to “not lose hope”.

WHO chief, “Most people remain susceptible. The virus still has a lot of room to move. We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is: this is not even close to being over. 

“We’re all in this together, and we’re all in this for the long haul...We have already lost so much – but we cannot lose hope,” he added. 

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‘A lot we don’t know’

In the same briefing, WHO listed five priorities for the world leaders to handle the global health crisis including the need to “accelerate research”. Tedros said on June 29 that even though they have learned many different aspects of how the fatal pathogen behaves and its transmission, he noted that “there’s a lot we don’t know” along with several tools that need to be discovered. Without any definite treatment of the COVID-19, medical professionals across the globe are struggling to cure the rising number of patients.

Tedros said, “We’ve already learned a lot about this virus, but there’s still a lot we don’t know – and there are still tools we need.”

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