End of coronavirus epidemic in Asia still far away: WHO

The end of the Covid-19 epidemic in Asia is still a long way off and countries should prepare for a long fight, Takeshi Kasai, Regional Director for the Western Pacific, World Health Organization (WHO), has said.

“Let’s be clear, the end of the epidemic is still far away. It will be a long battle and we can’t let our guard down,” Kasai said during a virtual press conference on March 31.

He added that even countries that – like Singapore – managed to “flatten the curve” of disease growth and maintain infection levels at a relatively low level, are constantly threatened by new, “imported” cases. He noted that the purpose of security measures in the face of the epidemic is to stop it and to prepare countries and their resources for the possible spread of the virus on a large scale.

WHO adviser Matthew Griffin added that no country is safe because the virus will “end up everywhere”. He noted that although the epicenter of the epidemic is in Europe today, it would probably move to other regions of the world.

(PAP/Reuters)