This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
As the global death toll from the coronavirus nears 300,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning: the virus may never be eradicated.
Speaking in Geneva, WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said that the virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and that it may never go away.
"This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away," Ryan said.
"HIV has not gone away—but we have come to terms with the virus," he added.
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.
US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a swift resumption of economic activity in the US, often against the advice of health officials, as he tries to jumpstart the world's largest economy before a November election.
However, top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci has said re-opening too soon risks triggering uncontrollable outbreaks, and Trump has dismissed that call for caution as "not acceptable".
Meanwhile, the European Union has set out proposals for a phased restart of travel, with border controls to be eventually lifted, along with measures to minimise transmission.
Some beaches have re-opened in France, and people in England are allowed to leave their homes more freely, as the return to normality gathers pace in Asia, with Japan set to lift a state of emergency.
However, in Latin America the virus continues to surge, with a 60 percent leap in cases in the Chilean capital of Santiago, prompting authorities to impose a total lockdown on the city.
