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| Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, DG, WHIO |
Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus,
the Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO), says a number of
vaccines are now in phase three clinical trials to prevent COVID-19 pandemic.
Ghebreyesus made this
known at a virtual news conference on Monday at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva.
The director-general
said: “We all hope to have a number of effective vaccines that can help prevent
people from infection.
“However, there’s no
silver bullet at the moment and there might never be; for now, stopping
outbreaks comes down to the basics of public health and disease control.
“Testing, isolating and
treating patients, tracing and quarantining their contacts. Do it all.
“Inform, empower and
listen to communities. Do it all.
“For individuals, it’s
about keeping physical distance, wearing a mask, cleaning hands regularly and
coughing safely away from others. Do it all.”
Ghebreyesus said the
message to people and governments was clear: “Do it all, and when it’s under
control, keep going! Keep strengthening the health system.
“Keep improving
surveillance, contact tracing and ensure disrupted healthcare services are
restarted as quickly as possible.
“Keep safeguards and
monitoring in place, because lifting restrictions too quickly can lead to
resurgence.
“Keep investing in the
workforce and communicating and engaging communities.
“We have seen around
the world, that it’s never too late to turn this pandemic around,” he
said.
According to him, if we
act together today, we can save lives, we can save livelihoods, if we do it all
together.
He told journalists
that the Emergency Committee on COVID-19 met on Friday and reviewed the current
pandemic.
“It was a sobering
moment coming six months on from when the committee advised.
“And, I agreed that the
outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
“At the time, Jan. 30,
there were fewer than 100 cases and no deaths outside of China.
“When the Committee met
three months ago, three million cases of COVID-19 had been reported to WHO, and
more than 200,000 deaths.
“Since then, the
number of cases has increased more than five-fold to 17.5 million, and the
number of deaths has more than tripled to 680,000,” the director-general said.
In addition to the direct toll
COVID-19 is having, Ghebreyesus said the committee noted the health impact that
disrupted services were having on a range of other diseases.
“That compounds what we
already know about reduced immunisation coverage, cancer screening and care,
and mental health services.
“A survey of responses from
103 countries between mid-May and early July, found that 67 per cent of
countries report disruption in family planning and contraception services.
“More than half of countries
reported disruption in antenatal care services and more than a third of
countries reported disruption in child birth services.
“On top of the health impact,
we have seen the damage COVID-19 has caused socially, economically and
politically.
“The committee put forward a
number of recommendations for countries to continue to implement to bring the
virus under control.
“These range from sharing best
practice, to enhancing political commitment and leadership for national
strategies and localised response activities driven by science, data and
experience.”
He said from serology studies
that most people remained susceptible to this virus, even in areas that have
experienced severe outbreaks.
“Over the past week we’ve seen
several countries that appeared as though they were past the worst now,
contending with fresh spikes in cases.
“However, we’ve also seen how
some countries, regions or localities that had a high number of cases are now
bringing the outbreak under control.
“It’s not easy, of course.
Strict measures may cause their own problems for delivery of essential health
services, the economy and societies overall.
“The committee acknowledged
that Member States have tough choices to make to turn the epidemic around.
“But, they were also clear
that when leaders step up and work intensely with their populations, this disease
can be brought under control.”
He further said we learnt
everyday about this virus.
“I’m pleased that the world
has made progress in identifying treatments that can help people with the most
serious forms of COVID-19 recover.
“The committee recommended
that countries engage in the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator,
participate in relevant clinical trials, and prepare for safe and effective
therapeutics and vaccine introduction,” Ghebreyesus said. (NAN)
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