WHO Chief Says Coronavirus Pandemic Could Be Over ‘Within Two Years’

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed hopes the coronavirus pandemic could be over in fewer than two years. 

The outbreak of the disease prompted fast and unexpected changes to our day-to-day lives, forcing us to swap hugs for waves, family gatherings for Zoom calls and visits to the pub for quiet nights in.

Many countries have taken measures to slowly get society back to some kind of normality, but we still have to protect ourselves against coronavirus by wearing masks, keeping our distance and using hand sanitizer at every opportunity.

As weeks turned into months, many people have been asking the same question: ‘When will it end?’ Well, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus believes the end of the pandemic could be in the relatively near future.

He commented:

Of course with more connectiveness, the virus has a better chance of spreading.

But at the same time, we have also the technology to stop it, and the knowledge to stop it.

The chief stressed the importance of ‘national unity’ and ‘global solidarity’, and added that individuals must take their own responsibility for helping to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Ghebreyesus said there is no guarantee that a coronavirus vaccine will be found, and said that even if one is produced it ‘won’t end the pandemic on its own’.

He explained:

We must all learn to control and manage this virus using the tools we have now, and to make the adjustments to our daily lives that are needed to keep ourselves and each other safe.

Professor Sir Mark Walport, who is a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), told BBC Radio 4 that if a vaccine is found, repeat inoculations will be required to keep the virus at bay.

Professor Walport explained that while a vaccine may control the virus, it is not ‘going to be a disease like smallpox which could be eradicated’ altogether.

He continued:

This is a virus that is going to be with us forever in some form or another and almost certainly will require repeated vaccinations.

The US is the country worst-hit by the disease, with more than 5,600,000 cases confirmed at the time of writing, August 22. Presidential candidate Joe Biden has condemned Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic and pledged to introduce a national mandate to wear masks if he is elected in November.