March 29, 2024 06:26 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
PM Modi has mastered art of manipulating democracy, hurting Constitution: Mallikarjun Kharge | Mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies of cardiac arrest at 63 | NIA arrests key conspirator in Bengaluru cafe blast case | Actor Govinda returns to politics after 14 years of 'vanvas', joins Eknath Shinde camp | 'To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture': PM posts after 600 lawyers write to CJI
COVID-19 pandemic ‘not even close to being over’, WHO chief warns

COVID-19 pandemic ‘not even close to being over’, WHO chief warns

India Blooms News Service | @indiablooms | 30 Jun 2020, 03:44 am

New York/IBNS: Nearly six months after the new coronavirus first emerged, the COVID-19 pandemic is “not even close to being over”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday.

Speaking on the eve of the grim milestone, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for renewed global commitment to save lives as cases surpass 10 million worldwide, with 500,000 deaths, as the virus continues to spread.

“We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is: this is not even close to being over”, he told journalists.

“Although many countries have made some progress, globally the pandemic is actually speeding up. We’re all in this together, and we’re all in this for the long haul.”

‘The new normal’

WHO has published an updated timeline on its actions since 31 December 2019, which is when it first learned about a cluster of cases of “pneumonia of unknown cause” in Wuhan, China.

That response includes educating health workers through online portals, transporting plane loads of tests and protective equipment to health workers in developing countries, and launching a “solidarity trial” to find medicines to defeat the virus.

Going forward, Tedros said the UN agency will continue to serve countries with science, solidarity and solutions, repeating a phrase he has used throughout the pandemic.

“The critical question that all countries will face in the coming months is how to live with this virus”, he said. “That is the new normal.”

Five ways to save lives

Tedros underlined five priorities countries must focus on now to save lives.

They include empowering people to protect themselves through physical distancing and other public health measures, but also through sharing reliable information about COVID-19.

Governments must continue to work to suppress virus transmission, ensuring tracing and quarantining of contacts. They must also prioritize early identification and clinical care, paying particular attention to high-risk groups such as the elderly and those living in long-term care facilities.

As there is still much to learn about the new coronavirus, Tedros emphasized the need for accelerated research.

Re-evaluating priorities

WHO is convening a meeting this week to assess progress and re-evaluate research priorities for the next stage of the pandemic. Later, responding to a journalist’s question, he said the agency also plans to dispatch a team to China next week ahead of a meeting on the zoonotic source of the virus.

The UN’s top health official, a former parliamentarian and Ethiopian Foreign Affairs minister, also underlined the role of political leadership during the pandemic.

“As we have said repeatedly, national unity and global solidarity are essential to implementing a comprehensive strategy to suppress transmission, save lives and minimize the social and economic impact of the virus”, he stated.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.