Geneva, Switzerland: As the world braces itself to fight this deadliest virus, WHO makes a bold admission that the new coronavirus that has infected almost 2 Million people worldwide and killed more than 1,10,000, is ten times more deadly than swine flu.
In media briefing via video conferencing from Geneva on Monday , WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns the government against lifting or easing on lockdowns and emphasized on taking authoritarian measures if needed to flatten the covid_19 curve.
“We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly, 10 times more deadly than the 2009 flu pandemic,” the WHO chief stressed.
He further insists a safe & effective vaccine is the only way to fully eradicate this virus and discontinue the resurgence of covid-19.
“Our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of COVID19 will continue,” Mr. Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing, stressing that “ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission.”
Speaking about the behavior of the virus, He said all the proofs and samples that are being received from various countries are helping in figuring out how to deal with it. “Evidence from several countries is giving us a clearer picture about this virus, how it behaves, how to stop it and how to treat it,” Tedros said.
The 2009 flu pandemic lasted from January 2009 to August 2010, killed approx. 19,000 people and infected around 1.6 Million worldwide whereas Coronavirus pandemic that started in December, has already spread in almost 2 Million people globally and reported more than 1,00,000 deaths till date and as there’s no vaccine available right now, it only tends to increase exponentially.