COVID-19, the contagion that sparked a global pandemic in early March "may never go away," the World Health Organization warned Thursday, according to the BBC.
WHO Emergencies Director Dr. Mike Ryan told reporters that there was "no use" in trying to predict when the virus, which has so far infected over 4 million people worldwide and claimed 297,000 lives, would disappear.
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He added that even if a vaccine is found, controlling the virus will require a "massive effort."
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses first identified in humans in the mid-1960s. Some cause the common cold, while others, found in bats, camels, and other animals have evolved into more severe illnesses. The COVID-19 pandemic, named for the year in which it erupted, is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS‑CoV‑2.
"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," Ryan told the virtual press conference from Geneva.
"HIV has not gone away – but we have come to terms with the virus."
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions known since 1981. With no known vaccine or cure, it is considered an ongoing global pandemic.
According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, as of 2018, there were approximately 37.9 million people across the globe with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 36.2 million were adults and 1.7 million were children under the age of 15. About 1.7 million individuals worldwide became infected with HIV every year.
Ryan then said he doesn't believe "anyone can predict" when COVID-19 disease will disappear.
While there are currently more than 100 potential vaccines in development, Ryan noted there are other illnesses, such as measles, that still haven't been eliminated despite there being vaccines for them.
WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was still possible to control the pandemic, with effort.
"The trajectory is in our hands, and it's everybody's business, and we should all contribute to stop this pandemic," he said.
WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove told reporters, "We need to get into the mindset that it is going to take some time to come out of this pandemic.
