Senior WHO official Poonam Khetrapal Singh has emphasized that the coronavirus may continue to transmit for a long time to come, and the level of immunity in the community, by means of vaccination as well as previous infection, will determine if it will become endemic.

Singh, who is WHO’s South-East Asia regional director, said that populations where more people had been infected with COVID-19 and where vaccination coverage is high are likely to be less affected by the virus in the future, compared to other populations. Talking about booster doses, she said that cases and fatalities in all countries are largely driven by unvaccinated individuals. Using booster doses limits the supply to countries where millions of people are still awaiting their first vaccine dose… (The Week – PTI, September 28, 2021)