Although the spread of Covid-19 is being slowed in some countries due to blockages and vaccination programs, it is “premature” and “unreal” to think that the pandemic will end by the end of the year, the executive director of the World Health Organization’s services emergency said.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Dr. Michael Ryan said that vaccinating the most vulnerable people, including healthcare professionals, would help remove the “tragedy and fear” from the situation and help to relieve pressure on hospitals, “virus is very important in the control”.
“It will be very premature, and I think it is unrealistic, to think that we will end this virus by the end of the year,” said Ryan.
“If vaccines start to have an impact not only on death and not just hospitalization, but have a significant impact on the dynamics of transmission and the risk of transmission, then I believe that we will accelerate the control of this pandemic.”
The number of new global infections increased last week for the first time in almost two months. The 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 seems to be due to the relaxation of public health measures, the continuous circulation of variants and people letting their guard down. “
He said that while vaccines help save lives, “if countries depend on vaccines alone, they are making a mistake.”
“Basic public health measures remain the basis for the response,” he said.
Tedros also highlighted inequality in access to vaccines. He welcomed the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine administered in Africa on Monday, in Côte d’Ivoire and in Ghana. But he added that “it is unfortunate that this happens almost three months after some of the wealthiest countries started their vaccination campaigns”.
“And it is unfortunate that some countries continue to prioritize vaccination of younger, healthier adults with less risk of disease in their own populations, ahead of health professionals and the elderly elsewhere,” he said.
“Countries do not compete with each other, it is a common race against the virus.
We are not asking countries to put their own people at risk. We are asking all countries to be part of a global effort to suppress the virus everywhere.
“We are also concerned about the detention of health workers in Myanmar, which 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 put many health centers and hospitals out of action. We are deeply concerned about the risk of disease due to a lack of food, clean water, shelter and access to health care. “