Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Covid pandemic to be over within two years: WHO

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The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said he hoped the Covid-19 pandemic will be over in under two years.


Speaking in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Spanish flu of 1918 had taken two years to overcome.


But he added that current advances in technology could enable the world to halt the virus "in a shorter time".


"Of course with more connectiveness, the virus has a better chance of spreading," he said.


"But at the same time, we have also the technology to stop it, and the knowledge to stop it," he noted, stressing the importance of "national unity, global solidarity".


The flu of 1918 killed at least 50 million people.


Coronavirus has so far killed almost 800,000 people and infected nearly 23 million.


ros also responded to a question about corruption relating to personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic, which he described as "criminal".


"Any type of corruption is unacceptable," he answered.


"However, corruption related to PPE... for me it's actually murder. Because if health workers work without PPE, we're risking their lives. And that also risks the lives of the people they serve."


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