As Countries Are Busy Lifting Restrictions, WHO Warns The Virus Will Be With Us For A Long Time

Several countries across the world including India have announced some relaxations or a roadmap to lifting the stringent lockdowns which have been put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.?

Most of the countries have decided to ease the measures citing the slow down in the number of new infections and deaths due to COVID-19 and to provide some relief to the economy which has been in shambles.?

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But the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the lifting of the restrictions could lead to a resurgence of the number of cases.?

“Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics and some that were affected early in the pandemic are starting to see a resurgence in cases. Make no mistake we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his daily briefing.?

Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Image: Reuters)

The WHO officials urged countries to continue investing in preparedness, saying that only 76 percent had surveillance systems to detect cases. “There are still many gaps in the world’s defences and no single country has everything in place,” said Tedros.? ?

This is the second time in as many days the WHO has warned the world not to think that the pandemic is over.Earlier, Ghebreyesus alluding to the Spanish flu in 1918 as a reference for the coronavirus outbreak and saying the worst was to come in the coronavirus outbreak, raising new alarm bells about the pandemic.

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“Trust us. The worst is yet ahead of us,” Tedros told reporters from WHO headquarters in Geneva. “Let’s prevent this tragedy. It’s a virus that many people still don’t understand.”?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said India was doing the best possible as per its capabilities to combat the COVID-19 outbreak and that one must have faith in science which was making fast advances towards developing a vaccine and therapeutic interventions.?

Countries including Germany, Denmark, New Zealand and India have begun easing their lockdowns or announced plans to loosen restrictions such as stay-at-home orders, school and business closures, and bans on public gatherings.?

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In India, the lockdown will be in place till May 3. But there have been some relaxations since April 20, allowing some economic activities to resume.This is despite the fact that the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths from it are on the rise in India.