The World Health Organization on Monday acknowledged that the coronavirus outbreak has had a devastating impact around the globe, but warn...
The World Health Organization on Monday acknowledged that the coronavirus outbreak has had a devastating impact around the globe, but warned that worse pandemics could lie ahead, AFP reported. The health body urged world leaders to get serious about preparedness against future contagions.
“This is a wakeup call,” WHO Emergencies chief Michael Ryan told reporters at a briefing marking a year since the UN agency first learned of the coronavirus outbreak in China. “This pandemic has been very severe. It has spread around the world extremely quickly and it has affected every corner of this planet, but this is not necessarily the big one.”
Ryan noted that while the coronavirus is “very transmissible, and it kills people”, its current case fatality rate was “reasonably low” in comparison to other emerging diseases. “We need to get ready for something that may even be more severe in the future,” he said.
Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros https://t.co/rl2AnUTzXf
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 28, 2020
WHO Senior Advisor Bruce Aylward said the world had made huge scientific progress to address the coronavirus crisis, including developing vaccines at record speed. However, it remained far from prepared to ward off future pandemics, he said.
“We are into second and third waves of this virus and we...
