A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official has warned of the risk of continued transmission of the novel coronavirus even after large-scale vaccinations in the foreseeable future.
Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, told a virtual Press conference on Monday that he didn't believe the world should start setting elimination or eradication of this virus as the bar for success.
"That is not the bar for success. The bar for success is reducing the capacity of this virus to kill, to put people in the hospital, to destroy our economic and social lives," Ryan said according to a news agency.
Asked whether Covid-19 will become endemic, he emphasised that "for the foreseeable future, the coverage of vaccines will not reach a point where it will stop transmission. So we're likely to have continued transmission".
Noting that countries should probably not expect to get rid of the virus by 2021, Ryan reminded that so far in human history "we've only ever eradicated one disease on this planet: smallpox".
"We have to reach a point where we're in control of the virus," he added.
Experts have called for the continued use of strict control measures to be adopted to reduce the evolution and spread of new Covid-19 variants, both existing — such as the UK, South Africa and Brazil variants — as well as those yet to come.
The experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA), Earlham Institute in the UK and University of Minnesota in the US warn that stronger action now is the best way to mitigate more serious outcomes from such virulent strains later.
In an editorial published in the journal Virulence, the scientists said "continuing public health efforts to encourage vaccination as well as continued use of proper personal protective equipment (PPE), such as proper masking and maintaining safe social interactions, is of utmost importance,".
"Humanity is faced with a new reality. The faster we adapt, the better our long term prospects. We must stop the evolution and spread of more virulent virus strains now," said the experts, including Professors Cock van Oosterhout, Neil Hall, and Hinh Ly.
"We, therefore, support public health policies with strict control measures in order to protect our public health system, our individual wellbeing, and our future," they said.
The researchers highlighted that the roll-out of economic stimulus packages and related activities in many countries appear to have fuelled the rate of person-to person transmission.