Task Force Chair: Maybe We Will Forever Live With COVID-19

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, Doni Monardo, said there is a possibility that the community will live forever amid the spread of COVID-19. Given, so far there is no certainty about the discovery of a vaccine so that humans are immune to this virus and it is not yet known when the spread will end.

"No institution has yet dared to say when COVID-19 ends. Including, there is no certainty when the vaccine will be found. So it is very possible that we will live with COVID as long as we live," Doni said in a press conference after a limited meeting regarding the acceleration of handling COVID-19 which was broadcast. on the Presidential Secretariat Youtube account, Monday, May 18.

The task force, he said, had provided input on this including the importance of preconditions and several other matters, such as which areas could be reopened after the implementation of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB).

The head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said that areas that could later be reopened were areas that would have been in the green zone or the level of the spread of the virus had dropped dramatically.

But the opening of this area must still be based on an assessment of community conditions in the field and research. "Data and research studies have an important role so that later which areas are opened, which areas will be given reduced restrictions are not wrong," he explained.

In addition, he also said that later there will be a monitoring team to evaluate the areas and business fields that will be reopened.

Doni reminded that even though the PSBB would later be relaxed, the public still had to follow existing health protocols such as maintaining distance, washing hands, and wearing masks when traveling.

"As long as this pandemic continues, health protocols are fixed,"

Doni Monardo

He also emphasized that even though the president asked the public to adjust to a normal life in a new way in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, there should be no complacency or surrender.

"Being side by side with the danger of COVID does not mean we are complacent, that is what the President ordered. Coexistence with COVID does not mean that we give up. Instead, we are increasing our awareness so as not to be exposed to COVID-19," he said.

Previously, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could be as endemic as HIV. We hate breaking this news. However, the latest statements highlight the fear that COVID-19 may never leave our lives.

This statement was made by WHO considering that nothing can be done to predict how long the virus will spread, let alone deal with it. Therefore, WHO calls for massive efforts to overcome this condition.

"It's important to discuss: this virus may become another endemic virus in our community. And this virus may never go away," WHO emergencies expert Mike Ryan said in an online briefing. Thursday May 14th.

"I think it's important for us to be realistic. And I don't think anyone can predict when this disease will go away. I think there is no promise in this and no date. This disease could be a problem for a long time, or maybe not," he added.

However, he said, the world had control over how to deal with the disease. Even so, any means will require "great effort", even if a vaccine is found. This condition was described by Mike Ryan as a massive exploration.

More than a hundred potential vaccines are being developed, including some in clinical trials. It's just that, experts have underlined the difficulty of finding a vaccine that is effective against the new coronavirus.