Covid-19 will end in 2022, if we end inequity: WHO Chief

WHO chief called for the world to pull together and make the difficult decisions needed to end the pandemic within the next year. Pic/AFP

As the world enters its third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he was confident that the pandemic will end in 2022 "if we end inequity" together. Ghebreyesus said, "While no country is out of the woods from the pandemic, we have many tools to prevent and treat Covid-19. The longer inequity continues, the higher the risks of this virus evolving in ways we can't prevent or predict. If we end inequity, we can end the pandemic."

Highlighting that Covid-19 is not the only health threat the world's people will face next year, he said millions of people have missed out on routine vaccination, services for family planning, treatment for communicable and non-communicable diseases. The WHO chief stated that to help prepare the world for future epidemics and pandemics, WHO has established the new WHO BioHub System for countries to share novel biological materials. "And we opened the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, to leverage innovations in data science for public health surveillance and response," he added.

He also reiterated that "we need all countries to work together to reach the global target of vaccinating 70 per cent of people in all countries by the middle of 2022." The world has recently witnessed a new variant of Covid-19, Omicron which has first detected in South Africa.

Despite ‘few difficult weeks,' Macron ‘optimistic' about 2022

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he is "resolutely optimistic for the coming year" for France, despite the upcoming few difficult weeks amid Covid-19 cases resurgence. Speaking from the Elysee to the nation for New Year, Macron stressed the importance of vaccination against Coronavirus. "Vaccination is our most secure asset. It divides the number of severe forms by ten," he added. He urged the 5 million non-vaccinated French citizens to get vaccinated for themselves, for their compatriots and for their country. The President also called on people, vaccinated or not, to continue to respect barrier gestures to curb the rapid spread of the virus, a news agency reported. Macron also acknowledged the essential role of health staff during the pandemic for the past two years in France.

28,87,30,266
Total number of cases Worldwide as of Saturday

54,55,515
Total no. of deaths worldwide

25,39,07,230
Patients recovered worldwide as of Saturday

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