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The novel coronavirus is more likely to coexist with human beings like influenzas, similar to the relationship between Tom and Jerry from Disneyland, China's CDC director said at a forum, underlining the importance of vaccines.
A vaccine is the ultimate weapon against coronavirus, otherwise human beings will live on the planet together with the virus, Gao Fu, the director of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at the China Development Forum on Saturday.
Gao said the novel coronavirus is the seventh type of coronavirus to have infected humans. Their biggest feature is genetic recombination, meaning new types of coronavirus will potentially appear in the future and human beings will face more attacks from coronaviruses.
So far, no evidence has shown the novel coronavirus will disappear and it is more likely to coexist with humans, just like the flu.
"The relationship between humans and viruses is like Disneyland's Tom and Jerry," Gao said.
Only when about 70 percent to 80 percent of the population are given vaccines and a protection barrier is generated will human beings be immune from new infection sources and the society will see an end to the pandemic, Wu Zunyou, the chief scientist from China's CDC, also pointed out at the forum.
Wu noted that when only one country achieves a vaccination rate of 70 to 80 percent and the same percentage reaches the second and then third countries can herd immunity be realized in a scientific and effective way around the world.
Countries with severe aging problem should be among the first-tier countries to seek herd immunity, Wu said.
Newest data showed that worldwide COVID-19 infections had surpassed 120 million and death toll had reached 2.7 million.
Everyone needs to be administered and receiving the vaccine is a personal right, Wu said, calling for developed nations to devote more resources to aid developing nations with vaccine supplies.
Global Times