Coronaviruses remain a major concern for the global health systems even though COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency, said Liang Wannian, a Chinese epidemiologist and secretary-general of the World Health Forum, on Thursday.

Liang made the remarks at a media briefing ahead of the third World Health Forum to be held in Beijing from November 4-5, which is themed "Preparing the World for the Next Pandemic."

It is vital to step up preparedness for potential infectious disease epidemics in the future, especially those triggered by contagious respiratory viruses, Liang said.

The forum is expected to give a review of how the world has responded to COVID-19 and explore strategies to improve global public health systems.

Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, former director-general of the World Health Organization, also called for global preparedness against future pandemics in her speech.

"There is bound to be another pandemic in the future, but when and how it will occur is unknown," she said. "All countries should attach great significance to pandemic response and preparedness, and reflect on experiences in coping with past outbreaks."

In early May, the WHO declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global health emergency, but risks remain, according to Liang.

"As human beings and nature become more and more inter-related, a pandemic is no longer a rarity. It could happen any time, and we should be prepared," he said, adding that special attention should be paid to the family of coronaviruses as currently there are seven coronaviruses that can infect people, including the viruses that cause COVID-19, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and Middle East respiratory syndrome.

The Chinese epidemiologist believes that development of vaccines, drugs diagnostic and testing tools for these viruses can be done in advance to increase preparedness.

The World Health Forum, initiated in 2021 and sponsored by China's Tsinghua University, aims to build a platform for international exchanges in the field of public health and offer advice for global public health policies.

(With input from China Daily)

(Cover image: Media briefing of the third World Health Forum held in Beijing, October 25, 2023. /Tsinghua University)