United Nations, Dec 27: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns that the coronavirus pandemic is not the last of its kind and that people should take measures to prevent such crises in the future.
“#COVID19 will not be the last pandemic humanity will face. As we respond to this health crisis, we need to prepare for the next one. On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, let’s give this issue the focus, attention and investment it deserves,” Guterres said on Twitter on Monday.
The first ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was marked on December 27, 2020, after the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed on the need to advocate the importance of the preparedness for and prevention of epidemics.
Earlier this month, immunologist Vladislav Zhemchugov, an expert in especially dangerous infections, told Sputnik that the coronavirus pandemic in the human population is ending and that the virus is looking for a new animal host.
Zhemchugov emphasised that the specific timing of the end of the pandemic will depend on the rate of vaccination.
The WHO has warned against coronavirus vaccine hoarding, saying it could lead to slow global economic recovery and most importantly a long-lasting pandemic. Since Covid-19 first emerged in China’s Wuhan in November 2019, nearly 280 million cases have been confirmed globally and the total death toll stands at over five million.
UNI
