"This is a moment for all of us to reflect on the toll the pandemic has taken, the progress we have made, the lessons we have learned and what we need to do in the year ahead to end this pandemic”, says @DrTedros in last @WHO #covid19 presser of the year.

"Science is at the core of everything we do and it has advanced at a blistering speed this year”, says @drtedros.

"There will be setbacks and new challenges in the year ahead”, says @DrTedros. "For example, new variants of #COVID19 and helping people who are tired of the pandemic continue to combat it."

“Only if countries are looking and testing effectively, will you be able to pick up variants, and adjust strategies to cope”, says @DrTedros. "We must ensure that countries are not punished for transparently sharing, new scientific findings."

"Early on, we learned that this #SARSCoV2 does not always transmit directly into communities, as does influenza. It starts off in discrete outbreaks and these outbreaks can be contained even if they involve large numbers of persons”, says David Heymann.

The concept of herd immunity “has been widely misunderstood and still cannot be predicted because of our lack of understanding of immunity and its duration”, says Heymann.

“It appears at present that the destiny of #SARSCoV2 is to become endemic as for other human coronaviruses, and that it will continue to mutate as it reproduces in human cells, especially in areas of more intense transmission”, says Heymann. “Its final destiny is not yet known.”

Q from @HelenBranswell: update on variants?
UK has just reported a case-control study, says @mvankerkhove. Scientists “found no significant differences in hospital admissions and case fatality at 28 days, and the occurrence of reinfections”.

South African scientists are "in the process of growing the virus and they will be doing neutralization studies as well”, says @mvankerkhove. “They're also looking at the epidemiology of this variant in South Africa to determine if there any changes in transmissibility"

I asked about travel restrictions to curb spread of new variants: “RNA viruses tend to mutate”, says Heymann. "So rather than spending a lot of time blocking borders, it might be more important to try to decrease transmission using basic epidemiological tools ..."

“We're all kind of fed up with this and we want this to be over. But this should push us even further, to have even more resolve to end this pandemic”, says @mvankerkhove. "We cannot lose this battle now."

"We need to try and contain any virus, whatever the variant is, in situ”, says @DrMikeRyan. “Shutting down countries with absolute measures is neither feasible in the world we live in nor is it necessarily the most effective public health action to take."

"It's really important that transparent and open countries like South Africa and the UK, who pursue science on behalf of all of us are not unduly or unnecessarily punished for their openness and their pursuit of science”, says @DrMikeRyan.

Q about vaccinated people traveling to countries with little virus.
"I don't believe we have the evidence on any of the vaccines to be confident that it's going to prevent people from actually getting the infection and therefore being able to pass it on”, says @doctorsoumya.

Important to reflect on what vaccines are for, says @DrMikeRyan: “The first primary objective is to decrease the impact that this disease is having on people's lives. And therefore, that will be a major step forward and bringing the world back to some kind of normal."

Second phase is looking at how vaccine affects transmission, says @DrMikeRyan. “The decision then to move towards elimination or eradication of the virus requires a much higher degree of efficiency and effectiveness in a vaccination program and all of the other control measures."

"First and foremost, we have to focus on saving lives, getting good control of this epidemic so our societies can return to normal”, says @DrMikeRyan. “And then we will deal with the moonshot of potentially being able to eliminate or eradicate this virus."

“This is not necessarily the big one”, says @DrMikeRyan. "This virus is very transmissible, and it kills people and it has deprived so many people of loved ones, but its current case fatality is reasonably low in comparison to other emerging diseases."

"The planet is fragile”, says @DrMikeRyan. “These threats will continue. If there's one thing we need to take from this pandemic with all of the tragedy and loss, it's that we need to get our act together. We need to get ready for something that may even be more severe in future"

“For me personally, it's not just COVID alone”, says @drtedros. "Ethiopia is in trouble. And the devastating war that's happening is actually in my home country, in my home region, Tigray.” Says he has not been able to communicate with family there incl. his younger brother.

“Whatever the situation is, I believe it can change”, says @DrTedros. "I call on the global community to choose peace, to choose solidarity, to choose caring for one another, caring for each other."