The World Health Organization has warned that it is “unrealistic” to expect the COVID-19 pandemic to end this year.
Dr. Michael Ryan, director of WHO’s emergency program, said the focus should remain on keeping transmission levels as low as possible, although the virus is unlikely to be eradicated this year.
“I think it will be very premature and unrealistic to think that we are going to end this virus by the end of the year,” Ryan said Monday at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
“If we are smart, we can end the hospitalizations, deaths and tragedy associated with this pandemic.”
Ryan, however, said the organization is excited by the data that indicates that the COVID-19 vaccines have helped to slow the spread of the virus.
“If vaccines start to have an impact not only on death and not just hospitalization, but have a significant impact on the dynamics of transmission and the risk of transmission, then I believe we will accelerate the control of this pandemic,” he said.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, meanwhile, said it is “unfortunate” that younger, healthier adults in some wealthier countries are receiving the vaccine before frontline workers in developing countries.
“Countries are not competing with each other,” said Tedros. “This is a common race against the virus. We are not asking countries to put their own people at risk. We are asking all countries to be part of a global effort to suppress the virus everywhere. “
But the agency has refrained from asking rich countries to donate their vaccine supply.
“We cannot tell individual countries what to do,” said WHO senior adviser, Dr. Bruce Aylward.
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