The COVID-19 pandemic is ‘most certainly not over,’ WHO’s health chief says
The COVID-19 pandemic is “most actually not over,” the pinnacle of the World Well being Group warned Sunday, regardless of a decline in reported instances for the reason that peak of the Omicron wave. He advised governments that “we decrease our guard at our peril.”
The United Nations well being company’s director normal, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, advised officers gathered in Geneva for the opening of the WHO’s annual assembly that “declining testing and sequencing means we’re blinding ourselves to the evolution of the virus.” He additionally famous that just about one billion folks in lower-income international locations nonetheless have not been vaccinated.
In a weekly report issued Thursday on the worldwide scenario, WHO mentioned the variety of new COVID-19 instances seems to have stabilized after weeks of decline since late March, and the general variety of weekly deaths dropped.
Whereas there was progress, with 60 per cent of the world’s inhabitants vaccinated, “it is not over wherever till it is over in every single place,” Tedros mentioned.
“Reported instances are growing in virtually 70 international locations in all areas — and this in a world wherein testing charges have plummeted.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director normal of the WHO, advised officers gathered in Geneva for the opening of the company’s annual assembly that ‘declining testing and sequencing means we’re blinding ourselves to the evolution of the virus.’
Reported deaths are rising in Africa, the continent with the bottom vaccination protection, he mentioned, and solely 57 international locations — virtually all of them rich — have vaccinated 70 per cent of their folks.
Whereas the world’s vaccine provide has improved, there may be “inadequate political dedication to roll out vaccines” in some international locations, gaps in “operational or monetary capability” in others, he mentioned.
“In all, we see vaccine hesitancy pushed by misinformation and disinformation,” Tedros mentioned. “The pandemic won’t magically disappear, however we will finish it.”
Tedros is predicted to be appointed for a second five-year time period this week on the World Well being Meeting, the annual assembly of the WHO’s member international locations.
