The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that it would be premature to terminate the coronavirus pandemic since contagion remains high in many countries and global vaccination has not reached the minimum required.
The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus/ EFE/EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT/File
“It is too early to claim victory. There are still many countries with low vaccine coverage and there is high transmission” to see the end of the pandemic, he said at a virtual press conference WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Adhanom considered the reduction in contagion globally “encouraging” and that some countries are lifting restrictions, but recalled that the threat of a new variant remains “real” and that the only way to end the pandemic is through vaccination. .
While 56% of the world’s population has already received the complete guideline, in countries with fewer resources that figure is reduced to 9%, when the objective of the who is that it reaches 70% in all states.
“Although omicron is less severe, the number of hospitalized and dead is higher than that of delta, due to its greater volume, due to the accumulated health burden and because the levels of vaccination coverage are insufficient,” he said. the head of the Department of Emerging Diseases, Maria Van Kerkhove.
The adviser to the director of the WHO, Bruce Aylward, recalled that the necessary supply exists to achieve the immunization goal, but that its control is “in very few hands.”
“The only way to achieve global security is with a more equitable distribution,” he said.
The pandemic and its effects on mental health
The WHO recalled that covid-19 has also put a “high toll” on mental health and that the greatest effects for it have been recorded in the areas hardest hit by the virus.
According to a study by this organization, the number of severe depressions increased by 27.6% during the first year of the pandemic, and the number of cases of anxiety, by 25.6%.
For this reason, the WHO highlights the need to take into account mental health and psychological support when dealing with the coronavirus.
Ukraine and the urgent need for a safe corridor
The appearance of Adhanom and other senior WHO officials was also focused on the situation in Ukraine, and included a call for the “urgent need” to establish a safe corridor to facilitate the arrival of medical supplies in the midst of the war with Russia.
The first shipment of medical equipment, transported from Dubai, will arrive in Poland tomorrow and will include specialized medical equipment that could cover the needs of around 150,000 people, the WHO announced.
Adhamom pointed out that there will be more shipments in the coming days and explained that 5.2 million dollars (4.7 million euros in exchange) have already been withdrawn from the WHO emergency fund, but that another 45 million (40 million euros) for the next three months.
“There is some access to material, but given the evolution of the conflict, we fear a worsening of the situation,” said the Director of WHO-Ukraine, Jarno Habicht.
Habicht lamented the impossibility of distributing the medical supplies stored in the WHO warehouses in Kiev, citing the lack of oxygen and medicines and the problems in carrying out the polio vaccination campaign among the concerns.
The WHO also expressed concern about reports of attacks on hospitals and health personnel, although it admitted that so far only one has been confirmed last week.
“The neutrality of hospitals and staff must be respected and protected. To do otherwise would be a violation of international law,” Adhamom said.
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