BERLIN (AP) — The COVID-19 pandemic is “most definitely not over,” the top of the World Well being Group warned Sunday, regardless of a decline in reported circumstances for the reason that peak of the omicron wave. He advised governments that “we decrease our guard at our peril.”
The U.N. well being company’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, advised officers gathered in Geneva for opening of the WHO’s annual assembly that “declining testing and sequencing means we’re blinding ourselves to the evolution of the virus.” He additionally famous that just about 1 billion folks in lower-income international locations nonetheless have not been vaccinated.
In a weekly report Thursday on the worldwide scenario, WHO mentioned the variety of new COVID-19 circumstances seems to have stabilized after weeks of decline since late March, whereas the general variety of weekly deaths dropped.
Whereas there was progress, with 60% of the world’s inhabitants vaccinated, “it’s not over wherever till it’s over all over the place,” Tedros mentioned.
“Reported circumstances are rising in nearly 70 international locations in all areas, and this in a world by which testing charges have plummeted,” he added.
Reported deaths are rising in Africa, the continent with the bottom vaccination protection, he mentioned, and solely 57 international locations — nearly all of them rich — have vaccinated 70% of their folks.
Whereas the world’s vaccine provide has improved, there’s “inadequate political dedication to roll out vaccines” in some international locations, gaps in “operational or monetary capability” in others, he mentioned.
“In all, we see vaccine hesitancy pushed by misinformation and disinformation,” Tedros mentioned. “The pandemic won’t magically disappear, however we will finish it.”
Tedros is predicted to be appointed for a second five-year time period this week on the World Well being Meeting, the annual assembly of the WHO’s member international locations.
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Observe all AP tales on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
