[ad_1]
The World Health Organization has estimated that 10% of the world has been infected by the coronavirus, much more than has been recorded, as it reflected on the acceleration of internal reforms.
To date, more than 35 million Covid-19 cases have been recorded worldwide, including some 1.04 million who have died, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.
But the WHO now estimates that around a tenth of the planet’s 7.8 billion people have already been infected since the virus first appeared in China late last year, more than 20 times the official count.
“Our current best estimate tells us that around 10% of the world’s population may have been infected by this virus,” WHO emergency director Michael Ryan told a special meeting of the agency’s executive board.
He stressed that infection levels vary “from urban to rural, it varies between different groups.”
“But what it does mean is that the vast majority of the world is still at risk,” he warned.
Meanwhile, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at today’s meeting that the pandemic should serve as a “wake-up call for all of us.”
“We all have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves what we can do better,” he said.
Tedros rejected criticism of the UN agency’s handling of the pandemic, insisting that from the beginning it had “worked day and night to help countries prepare and respond to this new virus.”
Tedros also vigorously defended the organization’s reform process for the past three years, but acknowledged that it should be accelerated.
“We are not on the wrong track. We are on the right track, but we have to go faster,” he said.
The executive board, which is made up of representatives from 34 countries who are elected for three-year terms, will meet for two days this week only for its fifth special session.
Its objective is to assess progress towards the implementation of an “impartial, independent and comprehensive assessment” of the WHO response to the pandemic, as requested by member states.
Tedros said countries were being encouraged to “come up with new ideas,” insisting that “we have to be open to change and we have to implement changes now.”
He highlighted, for example, the need for a “rigorous peer review” of countries’ health records.
He suggested that the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, where the rights situation of each country is assessed every few years, could serve as inspiration.
The WHO has come under fire for its response to the pandemic, particularly from the United States, which, under the presidency of Donald Trump, has begun to withdraw from the organization it accused of raising the alarm too late.
Tedros has flatly denied this, insisting that the WHO had acted swiftly as soon as it received news of the new virus and noting that it had declared the highest alert level on January 30.
The organization has also been criticized for slow or shifting recommendations on the best steps to take to stop the spread of the virus, including the importance of wearing face masks.
Mr. Tedros highlighted the enormous effort by WHO to provide up-to-date and accurate information in the face of a rapidly developing global crisis.
“Ten months ago, this virus was completely unknown to the world,” he said.
“We have published more than 400 guidance documents for individuals, communities, schools, businesses, industries, health workers, health facilities and governments.”
“WHO does not have the mandate or the capacity to do everything,” he said, adding that it was in a unique position to coordinate the global response.
[ad_2]