Coronavirus: we need to make sure health systems are ready for more surges, WHO official says
- Global health body is working with countries to plan for endemic Covid-19, according to regional director for Western Pacific
- Focus needs to shift to how risk can be reduced over long term and limiting emergence of new strains, Takeshi Kasai says
“Even with our best efforts it now seems clear that globally the virus will not disappear soon,” said Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, at a regional committee meeting of the global health body in Himeji, Japan.
The WHO was already working with countries across the Western Pacific to plan for endemic Covid-19, Kasai said, referring to a post-pandemic period when a disease is not eradicated but societies find ways to manage its threats to daily life.
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He said countries should decide how to handle their own situations based on careful risk assessments and an understanding of the “red lines” that would stretch hospitals beyond capacity. Kasai pointed to “adapting, adjusting and sustaining” interventions to cope with the virus, while allowing economies and people’s lives to run.