WHO Official Says Hantavirus Outbreak Isn’t the ‘Next COVID’ A World Health Organization (WHO) official stated that an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship off Cape Verde will not be the next COVID-19 pandemic. The official emphasized that most people will not be exposed to this virus and clarified that it is not SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This is an isolated outbreak occurring on a ship, not the beginning of a global health crisis.

• A hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship off Cape Verde is not expected to become the ‘next COVID’.
• An official from the World Health Organization (WHO) made this statement.
• The official noted that most individuals will not be exposed to the hantavirus.
• It was clarified that this outbreak is not caused by SARS-CoV-2 and is not the start of a COVID pandemic.