The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhnom, on Thursday warned that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is “far from over” and urged the world to unify efforts against the deadly virus, reported CGTN Africa.
“This pandemic is far from over. We need to adjust all our efforts to be suitable for the long-run,” Tedros said at the 5th Meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee on COVID-19.
The WHO chief’s remarks come as some countries around the world have reimposed lockdowns and restrictions that were lifted following a decline in case numbers. Countries like France, Germany and Italy have reimposed restrictive measures in a bid to contain further spread of the virus.
The number of COVID-19 cases globally had surpassed the 44.61 million mark, with a death toll exceeding 1.17 million as of Thursday afternoon.
In his address, Tedros called for cooperation between governments and the public in the fight against the virus.
“Strong leadership integrated in a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach will help to sustain a consistent and robust response,” he said.
Earlier this week, the WHO chief warned against giving up the fight against the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. He said that a certain level of pandemic fatigue had set in after months of battling the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s tough and the fatigue is real,” Tedros said during a virtual briefing. “But we cannot give up.”
The WHO chief also urged leaders to balance the disruption that has been caused to lives and livelihoods. He insisted that the virus can be suppressed if global leaders act quickly.
Tedros said the only way to recover from the pandemic was together and by making sure poorer countries also get fair access to a vaccine. He recommended that the best way to effectively use the vaccine would be to vaccinate some people in all countries rather than all people in some countries. He also warned that vaccine nationalism will prolong the pandemic, and not shorten it.
