Is your country easing coronavirus measures? Well don’t be excited just yet, as the World Health Organization has warned that everyone be prepared for a long run with corona.
The WHO on Saturday warned the coronavirus pandemic was likely to be “lengthy” after its emergency committee met to evaluate the crisis six months after sounding the international alarm.
Coronavirus has killed at least 680,000 people and infected at least 17.6 million since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
Now the panel, comprising 17 members and 12 advisers, unanimously agreed that the pandemic still constituted a PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern). The panel met on Friday, 6 months after their January declaration of the Pandemic as PHEIC.
Several countries around the world have imposed strict lockdowns in a bid to control the spread of the respiratory disease, plunging economies into sharp contraction.
The committee urged the WHO to provide nuanced, pragmatic guidance on COVID-19 management “to reduce the risk of response fatigue in the context of socio-economic pressures”.
The panel urged the WHO to support countries in preparing for the rollout of proven therapeutics and vaccines.
The world moving beyond the coronavirus is now more linked to a successful vaccine that is rolled out to everyone globally. Whether this would be mandatory or voluntary, paid or free, the easing of coronavirus measures seems to be directly linked to a vaccine.
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