COVID-19: end of pandemic is “at hand”, for head of WHO

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has yet warned: “We are not yet”. “Someone who runs a marathon does not stop when he sees the finish line,” said the Director General of the World Health Organization.

Le Monde

Would we finally see the outcome of the tunnel? According to the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO), the world has never been in such a good position to end the Pandemic of Covid-19, which caused several million people since the end of 2019 .

“Last week, the number of weekly deaths from COVVI-19 fell at the lowest since March 2020. We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during From a press briefing, Wednesday, September 14, in Geneva.

He has warned: “We are not there yet, but the end is at hand.” “Someone runs a marathon does not stop when he sees the line D ‘Arrival. He runs faster, with all the energy left. And we too, “said WHO’s general manager.

“We can all see the finish line, we are about to win but it would be really the worst moment to stop running,” he insisted. “If we do not take this opportunity, we run the risk of having more variants, more dead, more disturbances and more uncertainty,” said “Doctor Tedros”.

According to the latest epidemiological report devoted to COVVI-19 published by WHO, the number of cases dropped by 12 % during the week from August 29 to September 4 compared to the previous week, with some 4.2 million new infections declared. The number of infections is undoubtedly much higher, especially because mild cases are not necessarily declared but also because very many countries have more or less dismantled their test capacities.

September 4, WHO counted more than 600 million officially confirmed cases – there also a number probably much lower than that of the officially listed deaths (6.4 million). A study of the organization based on projections and evaluations published in May reported up to 13 to almost 17 million additional deaths due to the COVID at the end of 2021.

At the same time as the D r Tedros launched its message of hope, the WHO published six guides intended for the member states in order to allow them to quickly put behind this health crisis which has Also cost thousands of billions of euros in terms of growth, paralyzed for long months of whole sections of the global economy and exposed inequalities in the world, especially in terms of vaccination.

The rich countries have monopolized the available doses and in many poor countries the vaccination rates are still insufficient.

These recommendations “are an urgent appeal for governments to seriously look into their policies, to strengthen them against the COVID-19 and the future pathogens which could have the potential to cause a pandemic,” said the secretary general of the ‘UN ORGANIZATION.

Among these recommendations, messages that WHO has been repeating for almost two years and the arrival of vaccines: vaccinating 100 % of vulnerable people and health personnel, continue the programs of tests and gene sequencing, which allow in particular to track new potentially dangerous variants.

“We can put an end to this pandemic together, but only if countries, businesses, communities and individuals are mobilizing and seizing the opportunity,” insisted the WHO chief.

/Media reports.