New Virus Clusters Emerge As WHO Warns Of Unending Fight

By Staff, Agencies

New coronavirus clusters surfaced around the world as nations struggle to balance reopening economies and preventing a second wave of infections, while a top global health official warned Wednesday that COVID-19 could be around for a long time.

Authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic first began late last year, reportedly were pressing ahead Wednesday to test all 11 million residents for the virus within 10 days after a handful of new infections were found.

In Lebanon, authorities reinstated a nationwide lockdown for four days beginning Wednesday night after a spike in reported infections and complaints from officials that social distancing rules were being ignored.

A top World Health Organization [WHO] official, meanwhile, warned that it’s possible the new coronavirus may be here to stay.

"This virus may never go away," Dr. Michael Ryan said in a press briefing Wednesday. Without a vaccine, he said it could take years for the global population to build up sufficient levels of immunity.

"I think it’s important to put this on the table," he said. "This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities," he said, noting that other previously novel diseases like HIV have never disappeared, but that effective treatments have been developed.

Despite the risk that loosening restrictions could lead to infection spikes, European nations have been seeking to restart cross-border travel, particularly as the summer holiday season looms for countries whose economies rely on tourists flocking to their beaches, museums and historical sites.

The tension in balancing people’s safety against the severe economic fallout is playing out across the world.

Meanwhile, Ryan, the WHO’s chief of health emergencies, had a grim warning about coronavirus: Even though an effective vaccine might be developed, it would require immense work to produce sufficient doses and distribute them worldwide.

"Every single one of those steps is fraught with challenges," he said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, added that she recognized some people were "in a state of feeling quite some despair," but pointed out that stopping the virus even without medical interventions was possible.

"The trajectory of this outbreak is in our hands," she said. "We have seen some countries bring the virus under control."

Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 4.2 million people and killed some 292,000, according to the Johns Hopkins tally. Experts say the actual numbers are likely far higher.