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It's "unrealistic" to think the COVID-19 pandemic will be over before the end of the year, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official stressed on Monday, according to Euronews.

Dr Michael Ryan, director of WHO's emergencies programme, told reporters from the organisation's headquarters in Geneva that "right now the virus is very much in control".

"It will be premature, and I think unrealistic, to think that we're going to finish with this virus by the end of the year."

WHO chief, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that "this is disappointing, but not surprising."

"We're working to better understand these increases in COVID-19 transmission. Some of it appears to be due to relaxing of public health measures, continued circulation of variants, and people letting down their guard," he added.

He reiterated his call for greater vaccine solidarity, stressing that "countries are not in a race with each other, this is a common race against the COVID-19 virus."

"It's regrettable that some countries continue to prioritise vaccinating younger, healthier adults at lower risk of disease in their own populations ahead of health workers and older people elsewhere."

The WHO wants vaccination against the deadly virus to have started in every single country within the first 100 days of the year.