New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS): Covid has still got a "long, long way" to go and is "still very serious" despite some optimism the end is in sight in Europe, the World Health Organisation's special envoy on the virus said, Sky News reported.
Dr David Nabarro said "it's as though we're just passing the halfway mark on a marathon" and it is still not clear how long it will take to reach the end because of the way coronavirus "challenges and surprises", the report said.
He also criticised politicians and those who continue to make "amazing predictions" claiming Covid should be treated like the flu - while the WHO has said global governments "should not suggest to people" that the "virus has suddenly got incredibly weak".
Covid is a "new virus, and we must go on treating it as though it is full of surprises, very nasty and rather cunning," he warned, Sky News reported.
He continued: "I do want everybody to do one thing - and that is to go on treating this virus with respect. It has not changed. It's absolutely not suddenly become a soft thing - it is still very serious.
"So for me, if the end is in sight, that's good news. But it's as though we're just passing the halfway mark on a marathon and we can see that, yes, there is an end and the fast runners are getting through ahead of us.
"But we've still got a long, long way to trudge and it's going to be tough," the report said.