Coronavirus may never go away, according to an official of the World Health Organization (WHO). COVID-19 can lead to deaths worldwide every year.
Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, suggested that eliminating the virus that causes COVID-19 is no longer be possible.
During a media briefing in Geneva, he pointed out that the novel coronavirus can become one of the viruses that kill people around the world yearly.
"This virus just may become another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. HIV hasn't gone away," Ryan said.
"I'm not comparing the two diseases but I think it is important that we're realistic. I don't think anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear."
Data from Johns Hopkins University showed that there are over 4.3 million cases of coronavirus worldwide.
Several groups of scientists around the world are working on developing an effective coronavirus vaccine.
"We may have a shot at eliminating this virus but that vaccine will have to be available, it will have to be highly effective," Ryan said. "This disease may settle into a long-term problem or it may not."
Meanwhile, WHO infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove expressed some optimism during Wednesday's briefing.
"The trajectory of this outbreak is in our hands," Van Kerkhove said. "The global community has come together to work in solidarity. We have seen countries bring this virus under control. We have seen countries use public health measures."
Moreover, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the same message: "We should all contribute to stop this pandemic."
Coronavirus vaccine development
However, Dale Fisher, chair of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, said that a coronavirus vaccine will not be ready until the end of 2021.
Fisher said “we are currently on target” for a vaccine in 2021 with five Phase 1 studies currently underway.
“We’ve always felt that by about April, May, we would be in Phase 1 studies, so this means a potential vaccine has been invented if you like; we’re now trying it on individuals, basically to see if it’s safe,” Fisher told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia."
The current trials would make “early collection of data” to happen, he said. This would help determine whether the potential vaccine “actually works,” before bigger trials on safety and efficacy take place.
New COVID-19 symptoms
Making the coronavirus more difficult to fight is the emergence of new COVID-19 symptoms. These are blood clots, heart inflammation, kidney failure, and immune complications.
