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GENEVA (Reuters) – Recent progress on COVID-19 vaccines is positive, but the World Health Organization is concerned that this has led to a growing perception that the pandemic has come to an end, WHO director-general said Friday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Britain approved Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, giving hope that the tide may soon turn against a virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million people worldwide, hammered the world economy and disrupted life. normal for billions.
Advances on vaccines give us all a boost and we can now begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, WHO is concerned about the growing perception that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, “he said.
Tedros said the pandemic still has a long way to go and that the decisions made by citizens and governments will determine its course in the short term and when the pandemic eventually ends.
“We know it’s been a tough year and people are tired, but in hospitals that are running at their peak or in excess it’s the hardest it can be,” he said.
“The truth is that many places are currently seeing very high transmission of the COVID-19 virus, which is putting tremendous pressure on hospitals, intensive care units and healthcare workers.”
The virus emerged in Wuhan, China a year ago since it was reported that more than 65 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus globally and 1.5 million have died.
Two promising vaccines could soon be cleared for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and an estimated 20 million Americans could be vaccinated this year, helping stem the tide of the virus in the world’s worst-hit country. .
However, WHO’s top emergency expert Mike Ryan on Friday also cautioned against complacency in the wake of the vaccine launch, saying that although they were an important part of the battle against COVID-19, vaccines would not end the pandemic.
“Vaccines are not equal to zero COVID,” he said.
Ryan said some countries would have to support very strong control measures for some time in the future or risk an “explosion” in cases and a yo-yo of the pandemic.
“We are at a crucial time in some countries. There are health systems in some countries on the verge of collapse, “he said, without referring to specific countries.
Reportage by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Michael Shields in Zurich; Written by Toby Chopra; Editing by Jon Boyle, Catherine Evans and Raissa Kasolowsky
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