Corona not the world's last pandemic: WHO

New Delhi: Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization, is optimistic that the world will have a vaccine for Covid-19 by early next year, but warns against healthcare resource allocation to the pandemic at the exclusion of other diseases.

In an interview to News18, Swaminathan says that the response to lockdown measures by various countries has been varied, depending on how thoroughly governments were able to implement physical distancing and other norms.

She said, "This pandemic has thrown in an opportunity, besides mounting a tremendous challenge. The opportunity here is to strengthen our public health system, which is ultimately going to take us out of this pandemic, and protect us from further pandemics. No doubt, such viral diseases are going to keep emerging. This is not the last pandemic that we will see."

Meanwhile, evironmental conditions affect the stability of the novel coronavirus in human nasal mucus and sputum, according to a study which suggests there might be seasonal outbreaks of COVID-19 in the post-pandemic period if the weather favours the spread of the disease.

Researchers, including Jeremiah Matson from Marshall University in the US, noted that the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 is less stable at higher humidity and warmer temperatures.