As vaccination drives continue across the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Sunday, reminded everyone that ‘coronavirus pandemic is far from over.’ He emphatically stated that at this point, the world needs to use public health tools in the best possible way to deal with the still ongoing health crisis.
An ANI report quoted Ghebreyesus saying, “The pandemic will end when the world chooses to end it. It is in our hands. We have all the tools we need: effective public health tools and effective medical tools. But the world has not used those tools well. With almost 50,000 deaths a week, the pandemic is far from over.”
“The pandemic has demonstrated beyond doubt that health is not a luxury for the rich, or simply an outcome of development; it’s a fundamental human right, and the basis of social, economic and political stability,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added at the World Health Summit.
Ghebreyesus also requested G20 countries which have vaccinated 40 per cent of their population to proactively engage in the Covax mechanism and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT). According to an AP report, The United Nations-backed effort to even out global vaccine distribution, known as COVAX, has failed to alleviate dire shortages in poor countries. Donated doses are coming in at a fraction of what is needed to fill the gap. Meanwhile, pressure for drug companies to share, including Biden administration demands on Moderna, has led nowhere.
Also speaking at the World Health Summit in Berlin, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres revealed that he along with the WHO chief are launching a global strategy for COVID-19 vaccination, which suggests a credible and cost-effective plan to deliver vaccines to 40 per cent of people in all countries by the end of this year and 70 per cent by mid-2022.
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