BackWHO chief warns of virulent Covid variant; explains 3 scenarios how pandemic can evolve this year
Periodic spikes in COVID19 cases and deaths may occur as immunity wanes, which may require periodic boosting for vulnerable populations, WHO chief said
PremiumWHO chief warns of virulent Covid variant; explains 3 scenarios how pandemic can evolve this year
World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus notified that the severity of the COVID will reduce over time but, warned that we need to remain cautious and protected in case a more virulent and highly transmissible COVID19 virus variant emerges. Further, he laid out three possible scenarios for how the pandemic will evolve this year. This comes at a time when the entire world is witnessing a massive COVID surge fueled by the Omicron BA.2 subvariant.
3 ways how the COVID pandemic will evolve this year:
During a briefing on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed out that based on what is known now, the most likely scenario is that the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, but the severity of disease it causes reduces over time as immunity increases due to vaccination and infection.
“Periodic spikes in COVID19 cases and deaths may occur as immunity wanes, which may require periodic boosting for vulnerable populations. In the best-case scenario, we may see less severe variants emerge, and boosters or new formulations of vaccines won’t be necessary."
In the worst-case scenario, a more virulent and highly transmissible #COVID19 virus variant emerges. Against this new threat, people’s protection against severe disease and death, either from prior vaccination or infection, will wane rapidly, he added.
And to address this situation, it is required to significantly alter the current COVID19 vaccines and make sure they get to the people who are most vulnerable to severe disease
So how do we move forward to end the acute phase of COVID?
Answering this the WHO chief pointed out that“… It requires countries to invest in 5 core components." And these are:
- First - surveillance, laboratories & public health intelligence.
- Second - vaccination, public health & social measures & engaged communities.
- Third - clinical care for COVID19, and resilient health systems.
- Fourth - research & development, & equitable access to tools & supplies
- Fifth- coordination, as the response transitions from an emergency mode to long-term respiratory disease management
Virus still has a lot of energy left
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on Covid-19, said the virus still has "a lot of energy left", going into the third year of the pandemic.
Last week, more than 10 million new cases and 45,000 deaths were reported to the WHO, which said the number of new infections would be far higher as testing rates have dropped.
At the end of last week, more than 479 million confirmed cases had been registered throughout the pandemic, and more than six million deaths, although WHO acknowledges that the true toll could be several times higher.
The updated Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan sets out the strategic adjustments that every country needs to make to address the drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, lessen the impact of COVID, and end the global emergency.
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