Second year of pandemic 'could even be tougher': WHO's Ryan

[webfact]

Second year of pandemic 'could even be tougher': WHO's Ryan

 

FILE PHOTO: WHO Health Emergencies Programme Director Michael Ryan in Geneva, Switzerland, October 5, 2020. Christopher Black/WHO/Handout via REUTERS

 

GENEVA (Reuters) - The second year of the COVID-19 pandemic may be tougher than the first given how the new coronavirus is spreading, especially in the northern hemisphere as more infectious variants circulate, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

 

"We are going into a second year of this, it could even be tougher given the transmission dynamics and some of the issues that we are seeing," Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergencies official, said during an event on social media.

 

The worldwide death toll is approaching 2 million people since the pandemic began, with 91.5 million people infected.

 

The WHO, in its latest epidemiological update issued overnight, said after two weeks of fewer cases being reported, some five million new cases were reported last week, the likely result of a letdown of defences during the holiday season in which people - and the virus - came together.

 

"Certainly in the northern hemisphere, particularly in Europe and North America we have seen that sort of perfect storm of the season - coldness, people going inside, increased social mixing and a combination of factors that have driven increased transmission in many, many countries," Ryan said.

 

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for COVID-19, warned: "After the holidays, in some countries the situation will get a lot worse before it gets better."

 

Amid growing fears of the more contagious coronavirus variant first detected in Britain but now entrenched worldwide, governments across Europe on Wednesday announced tighter, longer coronavirus restrictions.

 

That includes home-office requirements and store closures in Switzerland, an extended Italian COVID-19 state of emergency, and German efforts to further reduce contacts between people blamed for failed efforts, so far, to get the coronavirus under control.

 

"I worry that we will remain in this pattern of peak and trough and peak and trough, and we can do better," Van Kerkhove said.

 

She called for maintaining physical distancing, adding: "The further, the better...but make sure that you keep that distance from people outside your immediate household."

 

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and John Miller in Zurich; editing by Mark Heinrich)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-14

 

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[richard_smith237]

Surely as the numbers of vaccinated people in any one nation approaches a ‘critical mass’ normalcy can return. 

 

Realistically, as soon as those in high risk groups and all those over 60 yrs old receive the vaccine a sense of normalcy can return. 

 

Surely this is achievable for most nations towards the end of Q2 now that the vaccines are being rolled out.

 

This news seems somewhat alarmist. But, only alarmist news receives the headlines and attention these days. Common sense and facts are boring, no one is interested in discussing the boring realities, only the conspiracies, the exaggerated doom, the conspiracies are of interest to the media outlets desperately targeting attention.

 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by richard_smith237

[PatOngo]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The worldwide death toll is approaching 2 million people since the pandemic began, with 91.5 million people infected

Someone MUST be held accountable for this! The perpetrators of WWIII! Guess who!

[Jeffr2]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Surely as the numbers of vaccinated people in any one nation approaches a ‘critical mass’ normalcy can return. 

 

Realistically, as soon as those in high risk groups and all those over 60 yrs old receive the vaccine a sense of normalcy can return. 

 

Surely this is achievable for most nations towards the end of Q2 now that the vaccines are being rolled out.

 

This news seems somewhat alarmist. But, only alarmist news receives the headlines and attention these days. Common sense and facts are boring, no one is interested in discussing the boring realities, only the conspiracies, the exaggerated doom, the conspiracies are of interest to the media outlets desperately targeting attention.

 

 

 

Yeah, but when will that point take place?  The US is behind with the jabs.  The virus is mutating and getting more infectious. 

 

Faucci said we 'might' see normalcy by the end of Q3.  Maybe.  Even then, he said the virus will still be around, and many countries will have just started their jabs.

 

5 million new cases just last week.  That's a lot.

[Rimmer]

A conspiracy troll post and a reply have been removed:

 

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[Elkski]

14 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Realistically, as soon as those in high risk groups and all those over 60 yrs old receive the vaccine a sense of normalcy can return. 

 

Surely this is achievable for most nations towards the end of Q2 now that the vaccines are being rolled out.

Your dreaming.  60 yr olds will be lucky to get the shot by june in the US .  Just going to start over 70 yr olds  in mid Feb here.  

[soalbundy]

21 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Yeah, but when will that point take place?  The US is behind with the jabs.  The virus is mutating and getting more infectious. 

 

Faucci said we 'might' see normalcy by the end of Q3.  Maybe.  Even then, he said the virus will still be around, and many countries will have just started their jabs.

 

5 million new cases just last week.  That's a lot.

At this rate most of us will have been infected before we get vaccinated. What happens when, as has been suggested, that the virus mutations will require new vaccinations every year? They'll never be able to vaccinate everybody in a timely manner so covid will continue unchecked like the flu.

 

 I think it's something we are just going to have to live with, eventually people will get fed up with the constrictions (they are even now) and masks, social distancing etc. will fall by the wayside, a certain herd immunity will evolve and fewer and fewer people will get ill each year. I can't remember when I last had influenza, certainly not often and I have never bothered with the yearly 'flu jab' and I've never experienced my office in Germany being swept clear of people with the flu so a certain herd immunity has already evolved with influenza, IMO the same will happen with covid.

I am no expert but it has occured to me that vaccinations may even be harmful in the long run by forcing the virus to evolve to become ever more infectious, it's happening already. Once it has found an optimal infection rate it will stop evolving unless you force it into a corner and then it will come out fighting.

[Stargeezr]

I believe that 2021 will be a tough year for many people all over the world. Ireland, and the rest of

the UK, for example, many places in Europe. Most of Africa, not sure how bad the situation is

in South America, but in USA it is still not slowing down, but the large gatherings

with no masks or social distancing are not helping. I feel very sorry for the workers in the

hospitals in the USA.  More cases happening in Ontario and Quebec Canada as well.  This

Covid pandemic is far from over.

Geezer

[Jeffr2]

3 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

At this rate most of us will have been infected before we get vaccinated. What happens when, as has been suggested, that the virus mutations will require new vaccinations every year? They'll never be able to vaccinate everybody in a timely manner so covid will continue unchecked like the flu.

 

 I think it's something we are just going to have to live with, eventually people will get fed up with the constrictions (they are even now) and masks, social distancing etc. will fall by the wayside, a certain herd immunity will evolve and fewer and fewer people will get ill each year. I can't remember when I last had influenza, certainly not often and I have never bothered with the yearly 'flu jab' and I've never experienced my office in Germany being swept clear of people with the flu so a certain herd immunity has already evolved with influenza, IMO the same will happen with covid.

I am no expert but it has occured to me that vaccinations may even be harmful in the long run by forcing the virus to evolve to become ever more infectious, it's happening already. Once it has found an optimal infection rate it will stop evolving unless you force it into a corner and then it will come out fighting.

Herd immunity can't be achieved naturally.  We need the jabs to help, and prevent a massive loss of life.

 

Crazy times, and things are changing rapidly.  There's a new jab out in 2 weeks from Johnson and Johnson.  Only one jab, and can be stored in a refrigerator.  Many more are also coming out.  The future is looking brighter, but that's still a ways off.  Sadly!!!

[Jeffr2]

4 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

I believe that 2021 will be a tough year for many people all over the world. Ireland, and the rest of

the UK, for example, many places in Europe. Most of Africa, not sure how bad the situation is

in South America, but in USA it is still not slowing down, but the large gatherings

with no masks or social distancing are not helping. I feel very sorry for the workers in the

hospitals in the USA.  More cases happening in Ontario and Quebec Canada as well.  This

Covid pandemic is far from over.

Geezer

Yeah, I saw the charts for the UK, Ireland and ????.  Stunning the increase in the number of new cases.  Same goes for the US where many states are in absolute chaos.

[Kwasaki]

The way there going about vacination I wouldn't be surprised to see C19 going into 2022. 

I never understood why the priority isn't people who work and younger people getting the jab first.

[Eric Loh]

On 1/14/2021 at 6:33 AM, webfact said:

The worldwide death toll is approaching 2 million people since the pandemic began, with 91.5 million people infected.

25% of global infections and deaths are in highly developed USA and majority of Republicans still think covid-19 is overblown. America in for a very tough 2021. 

[Virt]

The plan here in Denmark is to start vaccinating the last group in May and at June 26 they hope to have vaccinated everyone that wish to be vaccinated. 

 

So far we only have vaccinated just over 2% of the population so I'm not so sure we're finished by June 26th. 

 

If we reach that goalline I will be happy because that means we could have a somewhat normal life from August. 

 

But since many other countries won't be finished with their vaccination program, it's not sure we just can travel as we please. 

[Eric Loh]

On 1/14/2021 at 10:41 AM, Jeffr2 said:

Yeah, but when will that point take place?  The US is behind with the jabs.  The virus is mutating and getting more infectious. 

 

Faucci said we 'might' see normalcy by the end of Q3.  Maybe.  Even then, he said the virus will still be around, and many countries will have just started their jabs.

 

5 million new cases just last week.  That's a lot.

Got even worse with the transition not getting much assistance from Trump’s administration. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/14/transition-biden-trump-vaccine/