WHO warns against worse pandemics to come, urges preparedness

• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Published date: 29 December 2020
• Date: 29 December 2020

The novel coronavirus has since spread worldwide to infect more than 80 million people and kill over 1.76 million, paralyzing air travel as nations have thrown up barriers against the virus that has disrupted industries and livelihoods. WHO had just identified the first few cases of coronavirus in Wuhan, China, around this time last year, marking a year since the viral spread took control.

"This is a wake-up call," executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program Michael Ryan said at a press briefing, according to AFP. "It has spread around the world extremely quickly and it has affected every corner of this planet, but this is not necessarily the big one.

"We need to get ready for something that may even be more severe in the future."

Ryan said that while significant leaps the medical and scientific communities took to stymie viral spread, including innovation and vaccinations, are admirable and encouraging, the world is still struggling to contain second and third waves of the coronavirus, and he pointed to a need for further education and preparedness internationally, according to the AFP report.

"We are into second and third waves of this virus and we are still not prepared to deal with and manage those," Ryan said. "So while we are better prepared... we are not fully prepared for this one, let alone the next one."

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