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Coronavirus May Never Go Away, Warns World Health Organization

During a virtual press conference from Geneva that broadcasted on Wednesday, experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the coronavirus “may never go away”. “It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away,” said WHO emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan. He warned against trying to predict when the virus would disappear and urged governments to make mental health considerations part of their overall response. “HIV has not gone away – but we have come to terms with the virus,” he added. He continued to explain that even if a vaccine is found, controlling the virus will require a “massive effort”. WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove also told the briefing: “We need to get into the mindset that it is going to take some time to come out of this pandemic.” Almost 300,000 people worldwide are reported to have died with coronavirus, and more than 4.3m cases have been recorded so far.