By MDS , C19 , Décember 31 2020
This is a nonreassuring message from the World Health Organization, which called on Monday, December 28, to prepare for "worse" than the situation we are currently experiencing with the coronavirus crisis.
At a press conference on Monday, December 28, the head of the WHO, Michael Ryan, delivered a disturbing message. "An alarm bell" even, according to him. For him, it is necessary to prepare for the worst, concerning the arrival of future pandemics.
Michael Ryan, a former Irish surgeon and epidemiologist specializing in infectious diseases and public health, recognized the seriousness of the coronavirus epidemic that the world is facing, saying that this terrible pandemic has spread around the world at lightning speed and no country is spared.
However, despite the mortality associated with this crisis, he warns that it is probably not the "worst". "Its mortality rate is relatively low compared to other emerging diseases". This is why Michael Ryan warned at the press conference that we must "prepare for something that may be even worse in the future".
The WHO, through Michael Ryan, is sending a clear message that the hardest part is yet to come. Governments and peoples have an obligation to be disciplined and to propose clear and responsible strategies Bruce Aylward, his colleague and advisor at the WHO, also shared his concern. For him, we are not ready. "We are in the second and third wave of this virus and we are still not ready and able to deal with it".
He explained that despite the progress made in dealing with the virus, and the discovery of a vaccine in record time, our level of preparedness remains insufficient: "Even if we are better prepared, we are not fully ready for this (pandemic), let alone the next one.
The next one in their minds is tomorrow and politicians have an obligation to think about the future generations of their people and not about the next election. The American example is before our eyes, the elections crystallize the political ambitions and put aside the pandemic that is hitting the USA hard.
For his part, the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, wanted to be a little less alarmist than his colleagues. "In terms of awareness, I think we are there," he said, while recalling that it was necessary to be "really serious" and show "more ambition. A more political discourse .
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