The novel coronavirus is 10 times more deadly than swine flu, also called H1N1, which caused a global pandemic in 2009, the World Health Organization said Monday, calling for control measures to be lifted “slowly”.
“We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know thatit is deadly, 10 times more deadly than the 2009 flu pandemic,” WHO chiefTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva. (AFP)
WHO said a safe and effective vaccine would be needed to fully halt the spread of COVID-19. “Our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of COVID19 will continue,” Ghebreyesus said, stressing that “ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission.”