Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, another pandemic that shook the globe back in 2009 was the swine flu or better known as H1N1. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), H1N1 was first uncovered in Mexico and the United States in March 2009.
At that time, H1N1 was one of the biggest crisis that people had faced as it has affected countless of people all across the world. However, WHO has stepped forward on Monday (April 13) and informed that the current Covid-19 pandemic is ten times deadlier than the H1N1.
We are currently in the midst of one of the worst pandemic that the world has ever seen.
According to the Star, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva that the organisation was constantly learning about the new virus sweeping the globe, which has now killed nearly 115,000 people and infected over 1.8 million.
“We know that Covid-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly, 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic,” he said.
At the present time, more than half of the planet’s population is currently staying home in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. However, Tedros warned that “our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of the disease will continue”.
He further pointed out that the spread of Covid-19 is really fast, but, the time it takes for people to get better and for the virus to decelerate is much slower.
“In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up,” he said, reported Free Malaysia Today(FMT). Due to the infectious nature of this virus, Tedros stressed that control measures must be lifted slowly and with control. It cannot happen all at once.
WHO believes that only a vaccine could be an answer for this pandemic. “Ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission,” WHO acknowledged. WHO believes that a vaccine might be at least 12 to 18 months away, reported FMT.
Due to the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, we hope that everyone plays their part in the efforts to curb the spread of this virus. Experts have time and time again stated that staying indoors, practicing social distancing and regular washing of hands reduces the exposure towards the virus.
Everyone working together is absolutely crucial and we hope better times will come soon.
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Also read: Recovered Patients In S. Korea Tested Positive Again, Experts Say Virus May Have Been Re-Activated
