World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said that he hopes that the coronavirus pandemic will be over in less than two years and be eradicated faster than the Spanish Flu of 1918.
Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the world had better technology to fight off the virus in the present time. “And in our situation now with more technology, and of course with more connectiveness, the virus has a better chance of spreading, it can move fast because we are more connected now,” Adhanom Ghebreyesus was quoted as saying by Reuters at a press briefing.
“But at the same time we have also the technology to stop it and the knowledge to stop it,” he added. “So we have a disadvantage of globalisation, closeness, connectedness but an advantage of better technology. “So we hope to finish this pandemic (in) less than two years.” He added that the Spanish Flu “took two years to stop”.
Adhanom Ghebreyesus also emphasised on the need for unified global efforts to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. “That is really key with utilising the available tools to the maximum and hoping that we can have additional tools like vaccine,” he said. Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however, added that the vaccine alone will not end the pandemic and the people must make adjustments to their daily lives
Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 2.28 crore people and killed 7,97,871 others, according to the Johns Hopkins University’s tracker. The United States is the world’s worst-affected country with over 56 lakh cases and more than 1.75 lakh deaths. Brazil is second with more than 35 lakh cases and 1,13,358 deaths. India, the world’s third worst-hit nation, has recorded 29,05,823 cases and 54,849 deaths so far.
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