UN issues dire economic report as WHO warns coronavirus "may never go away"

• WHO emergencies expert Mike Ryan stressed during a briefing on Wednesday that it would take a "massive effort" to get COVID-19 under control even if there were a vaccine.

What they're saying: "It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away," Ryan said.

• He noted HIV hadn't gone away, but we have found the therapies and we have found the prevention methods.

The big picture: The UN World Economic Situation and Prospects report stated the pandemic would cause the global economy to shrink 3.2.%, "racking up some $8.5 trillion in overall losses — wiping out nearly four years of output gains."

• A top official at WHO's mental health department to the UN warned of an emerging mental health crisis. "The isolation, the fear, the uncertainty, the economic turmoil — they all cause or could cause psychological distress," the department's director, Devora Kestel said.

By the numbers: COVID-19 has infected more than 4.3 million people and killed over 297,00.

Of note: Scientists are working on more than 100 potential COVID-19 vaccines and several in clinical trials are under way.