WHO chief warns new virus may appear that cannot be contained

“It’s a biological certainty that at some point, another virus will emerge that we simply can’t contain,” Ghebreyesus said during a meeting of the G20 health and finance ministers. 

The WHO chief further urged the international community to learn from the current pandemic in order to prepare for the next one. 

For that, according to Ghebreyesus, the world needs a “strengthened, empowered and sustainably financed WHO,” a new financial mechanism to ensure rapid response to pandemics and better governance. To this end, he urged the countries to support the establishment of a Health Threats Financing Board and the signing of a legally-binding international agreement on pandemic preparedness and response.