Actual COVID-19 Death Toll Certainly Higher Than 1 Million: World Health Organisation

Geneva: Director-General of World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday (September 30) said that the actual number of deaths due to COVID-19 is “certainly higher” than 1 million. Speaking at a high-level UNGA event, Dr Tedros said, “One million people are confirmed to have lost their lives to this new virus. The real number is certainly higher. Thousands more are fighting for their lives in hospitals all over the world.”

Also Read: WHO Lauds Odisha Government For Efficient COVID-19 Management, Despite Cyclone Amphan, Influx Of Migrants

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the countries to work together to expand the access to tests and treatments and extend support to the vaccine for “global public good”.

It is in every country’s national and economic self-interest to work together to massively expand access to tests and treatments and to support a vaccine as a global public good, a people’s vaccine available and affordable for everyone everywhere. The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator with its COVAX facility is the vehicle to get us there, he said.

Antonio Guterres emphasised that the ACT Accelerator was the only safe way to reopen the world economy and guarantee that the most successful vaccine reaches all.

The current financing gap for ACT Accelerator stands at USD 35 billion. That’s less than 1 percent of what G20 governments have already committed to domestic stimulus packages. To put it another way, it’s roughly equivalent to what the world spends on cigarettes every two weeks. Fully financing the ACT Accelerator will help to control the pandemic, restore confidence and stimulate the global recovery, he added.

As per the latest update by the Johns Hopkins University, as many as 33,706,888 people around the world have tested positive for coronavirus and 1,009,064 deaths have been reported so far.

Also Read: WHO, Partners Roll Out Faster COVID Tests For Poorer Nations

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) 

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.  

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