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- The World Health Organisation’s Director-General has expressed concern over a growing perception that the pandemic is over
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that the virus still has a long way to run, despite Britain’s recent approval of Pfizer’s candidate
- There are another two vaccine candidates that could soon receive emergency use authorisation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Should that happen, 20 million Americans could be inoculated before the end of the year
- The WHO’s top emergency expert Mike Ryan also voiced his concerns, saying that “vaccines do not equal zero COVID”
- Since the virus emerged a year ago, it has claimed the lives of nearly 1.5 million people worldwide, with more than 65 million reported infections
With a number of promising developments regarding COVID-19 vaccines, the World Health Organisation’s Director-General has expressed concern over a growing perception that the pandemic is over.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that despite Britain’s recent approval of the Pfizer candidate, the virus still has a long way to run, and that decisions made by governments and citizens would inevitably determine its course in the short-term.
“Progress on vaccines gives us all a lift and we can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, WHO is concerned that there is a growing perception that the COVID-19 pandemic is over,” he said.
There are another two vaccine candidates that could soon receive emergency use authorisation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and current estimates suggest that 20 million Americans could be inoculated before the end of the year.
“We know it’s been a hard year and people are tired, but in hospitals that are running at or over capacity it’s the hardest it can possibly be. The truth is that at present, many places are witnessing very high transmission of the COVID-19 virus, which is putting enormous pressure on hospitals, intensive care units and health workers,” Tedros continued.
Since the virus emerged in Wuhan, China, roughly one year ago, it has claimed the lives of nearly 1.5 million people worldwide, with more than 65 million reported infections.
The WHO’s top emergency expert Mike Ryan also voiced his concerns, noting that although vaccines will inevitably play a major role in a global recovery, “vaccines do not equal zero COVID.”
“We are in a pivotal moment in some countries. There are health systems in some countries at the point of collapse,” he added.
