This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
May 14, 2020 - The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning that the coronavirus may never be eradicated, and populations will have to learn to live with it just as they have HIV.
The warning comes as the global death toll from the disease nears 300,000, with the WHO's emergencies director, Michael Ryan, stating that the virus may become 'just another endemic virus in our communities'.
Speaking in Geneva, Ryan said that the virus may never go away, but that people will have to learn to live with it, just as they have with HIV.
'HIV has not gone away — but we have come to terms with the virus,' Ryan said.
The WHO's warning comes as the global economy continues to reel from the impact of the pandemic, with the US Federal Reserve warning of a potential 'wave of bankruptcies' that could cause lasting harm to the world's largest economy.
Meanwhile, the US government has been accused of trying to shift the blame for the pandemic onto China, with the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) alleging that Chinese hackers are attempting to steal intellectual property related to treatments.
However, neither agency offered evidence to support the allegation.
As the world struggles to come to terms with the pandemic, the WHO has warned that the virus may be here to stay, and that populations will have to learn to live with it.
