BERLIN — The COVID-19 pandemic is “most definitely not over,” the top 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 U.N. well being company’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, advised officers gathered in Geneva for 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 1 billion individuals in lower-income nations nonetheless haven’t been vaccinated.
In a weekly report Thursday on the worldwide state of affairs, WHO stated the variety of new COVID-19 instances seems to have stabilized after weeks of decline since late March, whereas the general variety of weekly deaths dropped.
Whereas there was progress, with 60% of the world’s inhabitants vaccinated, “it’s not over anyplace till it’s over in every single place,” Tedros stated.
“Reported instances are growing in virtually 70 nations in all areas, and this in a world wherein testing charges have plummeted,” he added.
Reported deaths are rising in Africa, the continent with the bottom vaccination protection, he stated, and solely 57 nations – virtually all of them rich – have vaccinated 70% of their individuals.
Whereas the world’s vaccine provide has improved, there may be “inadequate political dedication to roll out vaccines” in some nations, gaps in “operational or monetary capability” in others, he stated.
“In all, we see vaccine hesitancy pushed by misinformation and disinformation,” Tedros stated. “The pandemic won’t magically disappear, however we are able to finish it.”
Tedros is anticipated 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 nations.
