WHO warns ‘long way to go’ in virus crisis, deaths top 180,000

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the coronavirus crisis will not end any time soon, with many countries only in the early stages of the fight, as the global death toll surpassed 180,000.

As some countries have moved to lift lockdown restrictions that have upended daily life around the globe, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a sober warning. “Make no mistake, we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time,” he said in a virtual briefing. 

“Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics and some that were affected early in the pandemic are starting to see a resurgence in cases,” he added.

The head of the WHO said he hoped the Trump administration would reconsider its suspension of funding, but that his main focus was on ending the pandemic and saving lives.

“I hope the freezing of the funding will be reconsidered and the US will once again support WHO’s work and continue to save lives,” Tedros said. “I hope the US believes that this an important investment, not just to help others but for the US to stay safe also.”

Mike Ryan, WHO’s top emergencies expert, said that it was important to understand the animal origins of the new coronavirus which jumped the species barrier to humans in China late last year. Ryan warned against opening up global travel too quickly, saying it would require “careful risk management”.

The pandemic has sparked not only a health emergency, but a global economic rout, with businesses struggling to survive, millions left jobless, and millions more facing starvation. Health experts warned it could face a complicated second coronavirus wave if it dovetails with the seasonal flu this winter, as some US states moved to reopen select businesses.

Nations around the world have been scrambling to fight the pandemic which has killed more than 180,000 people and infected nearly 2.6 million worldwide.

Germany offered a glimmer of hope when it announced that human trials for a vaccine will start by next week. The trial, only the fifth to have been authorised worldwide, is a significant step in making a vaccine available as soon as possible. It could be several months to go before a viable vaccine can be rolled out.

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said the virus crisis would hit the least privileged the hardest. It said the number of people suffering from acute hunger was projected to nearly double to 265 million this year.