COVID-19 remains International health threat, WHO warns
The World Health Organization (WHO) has once more cautioned that COVID-19 persists as a global health menace and that it is premature to declare the pandemic concluded.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, articulated this in a communique on Monday while reflecting on the results of the COVID Emergency Committee gathering that took place on Friday.
“There is no doubt that this virus will remain a permanently established pathogen in both humans and animals for the foreseeable future,” the committee remarked.
“It has been three years since COVID-19 was announced as a public health emergency of international concern. The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was initially identified in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019,’’ he recounted the committee’s statement.
The WHO Director-General mentioned that although the global situation is more favorable than it was a year ago, when Omicron cases surged, over 170,000 COVID-19-related fatalities have been reported worldwide in merely the past eight weeks.
Ghebreyesus reiterated that monitoring and genetic sequencing of the coronavirus have diminished globally, complicating the tracking of known variants and the identification of new mutations.
He cautioned that healthcare systems continued to face difficulties in treating a substantial number of COVID-19 patients as well as individuals suffering from influenza and respiratory infections, compounded by workforce shortages and burnout among health workers.
The UN health agency leader also stressed that vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic tools are vital in preventing severe illness, preserving lives, and alleviating the burden on health systems and healthcare professionals worldwide.
Notwithstanding their proven effectiveness, he mentioned that the COVID-19 response is still “hindered” in numerous nations that cannot provide these resources to those most in need, including older individuals and healthcare workers.
Worldwide, there have been over 752.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 6.8 million deaths, as reported by WHO’s Coronavirus dashboard.
During the WHO Emergency COVID Committee meeting, participants noted that globally, 13.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administrated, with 89 percent of health workers and 81 percent of older adults (over 60) completing the initial series.
Committee members voiced concerns regarding inadequate vaccine uptake in low and middle-income nations, as well as among the most at-risk populations worldwide, alongside the uncertainty linked to new variants.
They also acknowledged that “pandemic fatigue” and the perception of decreased risk “have resulted in a significant drop in the adoption of public health and social measures, such as mask-wearing and social distancing.”
Among its recommendations, the UN health agency urged nations to remain alert and to persist in reporting surveillance and genomic sequencing data to WHO.
“Carefully targeted” public health and social measures should be enforced where necessary, and the most vulnerable populations should be vaccinated to reduce severe illness and mortality,” the WHO meeting highlighted.
Addressing public concerns regarding COVID-19 remains crucial to demonstrating the importance of implementing preventive measures that will help keep the coronavirus at bay, the UN health agency stated.
The Emergency Committee elucidated that although the Omicron variants currently circulating globally are still highly contagious, infection does not necessarily guarantee that severe illness will ensue, especially compared to earlier variants of concern. (NAN)
