The World Health Organisation on Wednesday warned the novel coronavirus crisis was here to stay, adding that several countries were only in the initial stages of the battle against the deadly infection.

“Make no mistake, we have a long way to go. Coronavirus will be with us for a long time. There is no question that stay at home orders and other physical distancing measures have successfully suppressed transmission in many countries,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press conference.

“Most countries are in the early stages of their epidemics. And some, which were affected early in the pandemic, are now starting to see a resurgence in the number of cases,” he added.

COVID-19 has infected more than 2.6 million people around the world and a total of 1,83,027 people have died due to coronavirus, according to data from US-based Johns Hopkins University.

WHO is not the only international body to have warned against laxity while dealing with COVID-19 which continues to claim lives across the world. Not just that, the pandemic has also resulted in various sub-crises — humanitarian, economic, civic — making the fight against it even tougher.

On Wednesday, the UN food relief agency, too, said the world was on the brink of a “hunger pandemic” and could face multiple famines of biblical proportions within few months if they didn’t act now to avoid funding shortfalls and disruptions to trade due to COVID-19, which continues to spread unabated.

“While dealing with a COVID-19 pandemic, we are also on the brink of a hunger pandemic,” David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), said at a virtual session of the UN Security Council on the ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Protecting Civilians Affected by Conflict-Induced Hunger’ on Tuesday.

“There are no famines yet. But I must warn you that if we don’t prepare and act now — to secure access, avoid funding shortfalls and disruptions to trade — we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months,” he said.

Beasley said with COVID-19, the world not only faces a global health pandemic but also a global humanitarian catastrophe.

(With inputs from agencies)