WHO special envoy: We think COVID-19 will stalk human race for a long time

David Nabarro, World Health Organisation (WHO) special envoy, says COVID-19 will remain in the world for quite some time.

The novel coronavirus which broke out in Wuhan, Hubei province of China in December, has infected over 1.6 million people and claimed over 110,000 lives worldwide.

Nabarro told NBC News that WHO thinks “it’s going to be a virus that stalks the human race for a quite a long time to come”.

According to him, early detection and isolation of positive cases remain the best way to curb the spread of the disease.

He added that every human being is affected by the disease, soliciting cooperation between nations.

“We are not so sure it will come in waves in the way that influenza does. We think it’s going to be a virus that stalks the human race for a quite a long time to come until we can all have a vaccine that will protect us,” Nabarro said.

“The key for this particular virus is that every community has a kind of defensive shield, can pick up cases as soon as they appear, isolate them, and stop outbreaks from developing. It’s going to be necessary for every single country to have that capacity.

“We believe what we’ve got, we work with what we’ve got. That’s how we operate in the World Health Organisation.

“We’re right in the middle of this massive, epic struggle. Every single human being in the world is affected by it — businesses are really in trouble, communities are in distress. I really do hope that all nations will not find any reason to make threats or other such things that will undermine our capacity to bring together all the best knowledge that we can find.”

Sarah Gilbert, an Oxford University professor, had said a vaccine against coronavirus could be ready by September “if everything goes perfectly.”