We Cannot Pretend COVID-19 Is Not Here, Says WHO Chief

Geneva: With a surge in deaths due to coronavirus, World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on said “we cannot pretend it’s not there.” “Learning to live with COVID-19 doesn’t mean we pretend it’s not there. It means we use all the tools we have to protect ourselves, and protect others,” Mr Ghebreyesus said in a tweet. There has been a 35 per cent rise in COVID-19-related deaths in four weeks across the world.

Also Read: Omicron-Specific Vaccine Expected In Six Months: Serum Institute’s Adar Poonawalla To NDTV

Briefing media person on monkeypox, COVID19 and other global health issues, the WHO Chief said,

On COVID-19, over the past four weeks, reported deaths globally have increased by 35 per cent. Just in the past week, 15,000 people around the world lost their lives to COVID-19. This is completely unacceptable when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save lives.

He further said that all the people across countries are tired of the virus and pandemic.

But the virus is not tired of us. Omicron remains the dominant variant, with the BA.5 sub-variant representing more than 90 per cent of sequences shared in the last month, Mr Ghebreyesus added.

In a video, Mr Ghebreyesus is heard saying, “just in the past week, 15,000 people around the world have lost their lives to Covid-19. 15,000 a week is completely unacceptable when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save lives.”

None of us is helpless. Please get vaccinated if you’re not, and get a booster (dose) if you need it. Wear a mask when you can’t distance (yourself) and try to avoid crowds, especially indoors. there is a lot to talk about learning, to live with this virus but we cannot live with 15,000 deaths a week. We cannot live with mounting hospitalisations. We can’t live with inequitable access to vaccines and other tools, he added.

Also Read: UK Becomes First Country To Approve COVID Booster Vaccine Targeting Original And Omicron Strains

According to WHO, globally, as of August 17, there have been 589,680,368 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,436,519 deaths. The United States has reported a majority of these cases, which is over 9 crore cases. This is followed by India (around 4.4 crore).

Regarding monkeypox, Ghebreyesus said that almost 7,500 cases were reported last week, which is a 20 per cent increase over the previous week.

More than 35,000 cases of monkeypox have now been reported to WHO, from 92 countries and territories, with 12 deaths. Almost 7,500 cases were reported last week, a 20 per cent increase over the previous week, which was also 20 per cent more than the week before, he said.

The WHO chief also said that most of the monkeypox cases are being reported from Europe and the Americas -among men who have sex with men.

Almost all (monkeypox) cases are being reported — from Europe and the Americas -among men who have sex with men, underscoring the importance for all countries to design and deliver services and info tailored to these communities that protect the health, human rights and dignity, he said.

Also Read: Independence Day: PM Modi Lauds People For Coming Together To Fight COVID-19

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. 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 will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that 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 the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.