Acute phase of pandemic could end in 2022-WHO

A logo is pictured outside a building of the WHO in Geneva
A logo is pictured outside a building of the World Health Organization (WHO) during an executive board meeting on update on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Geneva, Switzerland, April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

GENEVA, Dec 29 (Reuters) - The acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic could end next year but the coronavirus will not disappear, the World Health Organization's Mike Ryan said on Wednesday.

Ryan, the WHO's top emergency expert, also said it was too early to draw conclusions on the severity of the Omicron variant until it had spread more widely to older people.

Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Alex Richardson

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read Next