WHO warns of two million coronavirus deaths worldwide in absence of collective action
As the coronavirus death count reached one million around the planet, WHO has warned that 2 million deaths aren’t beyond the realm of reason.
Geneva, Switzerland:
The World Health Organization on Friday said that two million Covid-19 casualties are “very likely” unaccompanied by continuous global action and efforts to fight the disease.
As the death tally reaches one million deaths in a pandemic that is flowing around the world, WHO also stated that the anticipation of another million deaths is no longer unthinkable, if all the countries and individuals do not combine making a collective effort to tackle the crisis.
WHO’s emergencies director Michael Ryan in a virtual news conference, on being asked upon if it was unthinkable that two million people could die in the pandemic, answered “One million is a terrible number and we need to reflect on that before we start considering a second million,”
He also added: “Are we prepared collectively to do what it takes to avoid that number?
“If we don’t take those actions… yes, we will be looking at that number and sadly much higher. Unless we do it all, the numbers you speak about are not only imaginable but unfortunately, and sadly, very likely.” Ryan contemplated on future challenges in funding, producing and distributing any eventual vaccines against Covid-19.
“If we look at losing a million people in nine months and then we just look at the realities of getting a vaccine out there in the next nine months, it’s a big task for everyone involved,” he said.
Almost 32.3 million cases of the virus have been registered. The coronavirus newly named as SARS-CoV-2 has as killed at least 984,068 till Friday 25th September people since the pandemic came up in China last December.