In a race to “save lives, livelihoods and end this pandemic”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that it's important to remember that COVID-19 is just one of a number of major disease outbreaks facing communities across the world.

In the final World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 press conference of the year, senior officials warned that the virus is "not necessarily the big one" and that there is a real chance of another, more serious pandemic spreading across the world.

With strong leadership and comprehensive strategies it’s never too late for countries to change the trend lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite passing the tragic milestone of one million deaths this week amid regional surges in infections, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday a total of 156 economies representing nearly two-thirds of the world's population have joined the COVAX Facility, reports Xinhua.

The World Health Organization says the official name for the disease caused by the new coronavirus is Covid-19, reports BBC.