Thursday May 14, 2020 ~ GLOBAL
by Mary Brooke, B.Sc. ~ West Shore Voice News
We are going to need to live with the COVID-19 coronavirus, says the World Health Organization. It could be a while until there is a vaccine and even then to make sure it is distributed and administered globally.
There are six coronaviruses in regular circulation that cause the common cold, and there are influenza viruses that public health tries to chase with revised vaccines each annual flu season. The only virus that has been completely eradicated is smallpox (variola virus) and that was only achieved in 1980 due to a global political commitment of funding and distribution.
In a media briefing today in Geneva, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said: “This virus just may become another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. HIV hasn’t gone away.” He continued: “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.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on changes due to COVID-19:
Reflecting on Dr Ryan’s statement about living with COVID-19 for a while or longer, today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a media conference in Ottawa today: “We are going to have to change behaviors as a society.”
Trudeau said there will ultimately be a need to take a look at “how we’re going to have to behave in the coming weeks and years, whether we have a vaccine or not.”
“We know that there are things that we took for granted last year and years before that have changed. We have seen this world change rapidly over the year,” said Trudeau during the questions from media today. “We have seen measures brought in that have made shifts in our society. Some for the better, some for the worse.”
“COVID-19 will be one of those things that creates changes in our society. Our responsibility as a society, as government, is to minimize impacts of those changes while maximizing the safety of Canadians,” said Trudeau.
Working on a vaccine:
Several teams of scientists around the world are currently trying to develop a viable coronavirus vaccine including several Canadian teams.
Societies taking responsibility:
During today’s WHO media briefing, WHO infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said “the trajectory of this outbreak is in our hands,” noting that the global community has come together in “solidarity”. She said “we have seen countries bring this virus under control” using public health measures, but that is not the same as eradication. We have seen countries use public health measures.
In his usual manner of making broad positive statements, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added today: “We should all contribute to stop this pandemic.”
