WHO: Coronavirus may become endemic

The coronavirus “may never go away,” the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan warned against trying to predict when the virus would disappear, report says citing BBC.

“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.”

Ryan then said he doesn’t believe “anyone can predict when this disease will disappear.”

He said that the one great hope is that if scientists do find a “highly effective vaccine” to distribute to everyone who needs it in the world, there may be a “shot at eliminating this virus.”

Endemic is a disease that exists permanently in a particular region or population.

An epidemic is an outbreak of disease that attacks many peoples at about the same time and may spread through one or several communities.

A pandemic is when an epidemic spreads throughout the world.