[ad_1]
Although the spread of Covid-19 has slowed in some countries due to closures and vaccination programs, it is “premature” and “unrealistic” to think that the pandemic will be over by the end of the year, the executive director said. of the World Health Organization. the emergency services said.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Dr. Michael Ryan said that while vaccinating the most vulnerable people, including healthcare workers, would help remove “tragedy and fear” from the situation and help alleviate the pressure on hospitals, the “virus is very much in control.”
“It will be very premature, and I think unrealistic, to think that we are going to end this virus by the end of the year,” Ryan said.
“If vaccines begin to have an impact not only on death and not only on hospitalization, but have a significant impact on the dynamics of transmission and the risk of transmission, then I think we will accelerate towards the control of this pandemic.”
The number of new infections worldwide increased last week for the first time in nearly two months. Reported cases increased in four of the six WHO regions: the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.
“This is disappointing, but not surprising,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“We are working to better understand these increases in transmission. Part of this appears to be due to the relaxation of public health measures, the continued circulation of variants, and people letting their guard down. “
He said that while vaccines would help save lives, “if countries rely solely on vaccines, they are making a mistake.”
“Basic public health measures remain the foundation of the answer,” he said.
Tedros also highlighted inequality in access to vaccines. He welcomed the first doses of Covid-19 vaccine that were administered in Africa on Monday, in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. But he added that “it is unfortunate that this occurs almost three months after some of the richest countries started their vaccination campaigns.”
“And it is unfortunate that some countries continue to prioritize vaccinating younger, healthier adults with lower risk of disease in their own populations over health workers and older people elsewhere,” he said.
“The countries are not in a race with each other, this is a common race against the virus.
We are not asking countries to put their own people at risk. We call on all countries to be part of a global effort to eliminate the virus everywhere.
“We are also concerned about the arrest of health workers in Myanmar that could affect the response to Covid-19 and the provision of other essential health services. And in Ethiopia, the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region has shut down many health facilities and hospitals. We are deeply concerned about the risk of disease due to the lack of food, clean water, shelter and access to medical care ”.
