The novel coronavirus has infected over 23.14 million people across the world since the first case in December 2019, while the death toll reached 803, 803 on Saturday, according to the worldometer.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was possible to "get rid of the coronavirus" in "less than two years", faster than the 1918 Spanish Flu -- the deadliest pandemic in modern history, report agencies.
Who Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Friday that the time frame may be possible by "utilising the available tools to the maximum and using additional tools like vaccines."
Speaking in Geneva, 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.
Meanwhile, US researchers fear that more than 130,000 people could die over the next few months from Covid-19 if leaders across the US don't implement safety measures like mask mandates.
If mask use increases from 53 per cent to 95 per cent, it could save almost 70,000 lives, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
"It really depends on what our leaders do," Dr. Chris Murray, the head of the institute, said.
At least 175,409 Americans have died since the pandemic began, a number the institute projects could reach nearly 310,000 by December 1. The new prediction is about 15,000 deaths higher than their earlier forecast from two weeks ago due to several factors, Murray said.
Across parts of the US, cases have been on the decline for weeks but deaths remain relatively elevated. The country's seven-day average for daily deaths topped 1,000 for at least 24 days in a row.
Health officials in China say in their Saturday report on the coronavirus that the country had no locally transmitted infections in the latest 24-hour period, though 22 cases were confirmed in Chinese arriving from abroad.
While the local spread of the virus appears to have been contained in mainland China, the semi-autonomous southern city of Hong Kong continues to struggle with its worst outbreak since the pandemic began.
Singapore on Saturday reported 50 new Covid-19 cases, including five imported infections, taking the national tally to 56,266, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
The five imported cases have been placed under stay-home notices upon their arrival in Singapore.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
