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While we are beginning to make progress with COVID-19 vaccines, the World Health Organization (WHO) is here to be a Debbie-downer.
Dr. Michael Ryan, director of WHO’s emergencies program, said at a briefing this week that it is “unrealistic” to expect the COVID-19 pandemic to end this year.
Instead, Dr. Ryan says the main focus should be to continue slowing the transmission of the disease.
“I think it will be very premature and I think unrealistic to think that we’re going to finish with this virus by the end of the year,” Ryan said, via the New York Post. “If we’re smart, we can finish with the hospitalizations and the deaths and the tragedy associated with this pandemic.
“If the vaccines begin to impact not only on death and not only on hospitalization, but have a significant impact on transmission dynamics and transmission risk, then I believe we will accelerate toward controlling this pandemic.”
So, Dr. Ryan, let’s just worry about getting those vaccines mass distributed so we can get back to our lives.
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The coronavirus originated from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 28.7 million confirmed cases and 514,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
