BINIGYANG-DIIN ng World Health Organization na kailangang matutong mamuhay ang mundo kasama ng coronavirus at labanan ito gamit ang mga kagamitang mayroon, sa kabila ng patuloy na pagsisikap na makalikha ng bakuna sa lalong madaling panahon.

Ito ang naging pahayag ni WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sa ginanap na pagpupulong ng high-level committee anim na buwan matapos ideklara ng organisasyon ang coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) bilang isang public health emergency.

“It’s sobering to think that six months ago when you (the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee) recommended I declare a public health emergency of international concern, there were less than 100 cases and no deaths outside China,” pahayag ni Tedros.

Aniya, mula nang pumutok ang virus, maraming siyentipikong katanungan ang naresolba na, bagamat marami pa rin ang nananatiling kuwestiyon.

Laging maingat ang emergency committee sa pagbibigay ng deklarasyon at kamakailan nga ay ini-reevaluate nito ang COVID-19 emergency status.

Bago ang COVID-19, nagdeklara na ang WHO ng public health emergency para sa swine flu, polio, Zika, at Ebola.

Ayon kay Tedros: “Early results from serology studies are painting a consistent picture: most of the world’s people remain susceptible to this virus, even in areas that have experienced severe outbreaks.

“Many countries that believed they were past the worst are now grappling with new outbreaks,”dagdag pa niya.

Aniya, ilang bansa na hindi masyadong apektado sa mga unang linggo ng virus, ang nakikitaan ngayon ng paglobo ng bilang ng kaso at pagkamatay, habang ang mga bansa na nagkaroon ng malalaking outbreak ang naibaba na ang record at kontrolado na.

“Although vaccine development is happening at record speed, we must learn to live with this virus, and we must fight it with the tools we have,” ani Tedros.

Paliwanag ni Tedros ang lubusang pag-unawa ng epidemiology at ang global risk na dala ng novel virus ay nangangailangan ng systematic serologic testing, na nagsisiwalat ng kritikal na impormasyon.

“Serologic testing detects antibodies in the blood that indicate if a person has already been infected,” saad ng WHO chief. “It tells us how frequently infection occurs among different populations, how many people have had a mild or asymptomatic infection, and how many people have been infected but may not have been identified by routine disease surveillance.”

Sa pamamagitan ng serologic testing, maaaring mabatid kung aling proporsyon ng populasyon ang maaaring ma-immune sa hinaharap.

“This will allow local, national, and international decision-makers to respond collectively, and more effectively, to the pandemic,” aniya.