World Health Organization (WHO) General Manager Tedros Ghebreyesus reminded that two years ago, as people gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve, a new global threat emerged.
Since then, 1.8 million deaths are recorded in 2020 and 3.5 million in 2021, but the actual number is much higher. There are also millions of people dealing with the long-term consequences of the virus.
‘Tsunami of cases’
Currently, Delta and Omicron are driving record increases in cases, leading to a spike in hospitalizations and deaths.
Tedros is “deeply concerned” that more and more transmissible Omicrons, circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to “a tsunami”.
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At the beginning of the year, during the meeting of the world’s largest economies – G7 and G20 – WHO challenges leaders immunize 40% of their population by the end of 2021 and 70% by mid-2022.
With just a few days left in the year, 92 of the 194 member states have missed their target.
Tedros attributes this to the fact that low-income countries receive limited supplies for most of the year and then the next vaccines are nearing the end of their shelf life without vital parts such as syringes.
New goal
“Forty percent is doable. Not only is it a moral shame, it costs lives and gives the virus an opportunity to circulate unchecked and mutate.“, I said.
The WHO The head warned that boosters in rich countries could send low-income countries again into shortages and called on leaders of rich countries and manufacturers to work together. to hit the 70% target by July.
“This is the time to rise above short-term nationalism and protect populations and economies against future variations by ending global vaccine inequality,” he said.
“We are 185 days away from the finish line, reaching 70% by early July 2022. And the clock starts now.”
Success
From the outset, Tedros acknowledged that defeating the new health threat requires science, solutions, and unity.
He said: “represent a master class of science, the WHO official lamented that politics often triumphs over unity.
“Populism, narrow-minded nationalism and hoarding of medical tools, including masks, therapies, diagnostics and vaccines, have undermined equity and created ideal conditions for the emergence of new variants”.
Furthermore, misinformation and misinformation, are also “a constant distraction, undermining science and confidence in life-saving medical tools.”
A case in point, he said, are the huge waves of infections that have swept through Europe and many other countries leaving unvaccinated people to die disproportionately.
Unvaccinated people are several times more likely to die from either variant.
Future
As the pandemic drags on, New variants may become completely resistant to current vaccines or past infections, requiring vaccine adaptations..
For Tedros, since any new vaccine update could mean a shortage of new supplies, it’s important to build locally produced supplies.
One way to increase production of life-saving tools, he said, is to incorporate technology, as in new technology WHO system of biological centers, a voluntary mechanism for sharing new biomaterials.
Tedros also pointed out the new WHO Center for Pandemic and Epidemic Information, based in Berlin.
Finally, the WHO chief called for a new agreement between countries, saying it would be a “main pillar” of a world better prepared to deal with the next epidemic.
“I hope to see negotiations move quickly and leaders act with ambition,” he said.
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