New Delhi: As COVID-19 has once again reared its ugly head across Europe and China, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday released an updated plan for the pandemic, with three possible predictions for how the pandemic will develop this year. scenarios were highlighted.
Even as the WHO said the severity of the disease caused by the virus is expected to decrease over time due to greater public immunity, the global health body noted that there is a more alarming form of concern. omicron Might be lurking around the corner.
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What are the three scenarios of COVID-19 evolving this year?
to reduce the severity of the disease
“Based on what we know now, the most likely scenario is that the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, but the severity of the disease decreases over time as immunity increases due to vaccination and infection,” Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a briefing according to Reuters.
However, it warned that periodic increases in cases and deaths could accompany weakened immunity which could call for a periodic boost for vulnerable populations.
Less severe or more toxic forms may emerge
Other possible scenarios are either less severe forms and boosters or newer formulations of vaccines will not be necessary, or a more virulent variant will emerge and protection from prior vaccination or infection will be sharply reduced.
The latest Strategic Preparedness, Preparedness and Response Plan sets out the strategic adjustments that each country needs to adopt to address the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, reduce the impact of COVID and end the global emergency.
Tedros said this is the third strategic preparedness, preparedness and response plan issued by the WHO and will likely be the last.
The first report was released in February 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
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