MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2020) The World Health Organization (WHO) currently has no data suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic will have another wave in the winter, albeit it can resurge if let go with no due control, Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead at WHO, said on Monday.
"We are five months into this pandemic. We have five months worth of data on COVID-19. We do have some experience with SARS [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, outbreak in China in 2002-2003], we do have some experience with MERS [Middle East respiratory syndrome], we do have some experience with other human coronaviruses, but there is nothing right now to indicate that this virus will resurge in winter months," van Kerkhove said, adding that "What we know and what we need to prepare for is that the virus can resurge if we give it an opportunity."
The WHO expert reiterated that many people remained susceptible to the virus, which meant that "the virus is there regardless of temperature, regardless of the month."
"If we think of waves, if we think of winter months, if we think of flu ... when we have co-infection, co-circulation of influenza and COVID-19, as we are seeing in the Southern Hemisphere, that could complicate our understanding. Because if we don't have testing in place we don't know what people are infected with. And so it could potentially flood the system," van Kerkhove said.
She urged all countries to "remain on high alert" in terms of their ability to test, isolate and care for COVID-19 cases.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already left more than 5 million people infected globally and as of Monday, 337,687 people have died from related health complications.
