World On Verge Of Defeating Pandemic, Says Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan At WHO Meet

New Delhi: The world is on verge of defeating the coronavirus pandemic by adopting preemptive, proactive and collaborative strategies to combat the virus, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday (January 26). “I thank member nations that despite the wide disparity in their epidemiological trends, we’re on verge of defeating pandemic by adopting preemptive, proactive and collaborative strategies,” said the Union Health Minister at 148th session of WHO Executive Board (virtual) meeting. Speaking about the year that was marred by the pandemic, he said, “2020 was the year of science when the best of humanity was shown through the gloom that descended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation demanded setting up of major global collaboration so that scientists could share their expertise. For these governments, business and philanthropic organisations got together to start committing resources.”

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On the efforts being undertaken globally to fight COVID-19, Dr Harsh Vardhan added:

All member states are doing their utmost to overcome challenges and improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of health care services. But the job isn’t finished here. So we must redouble our commitment to putting an end to the pandemic.

“In the present context, nowhere is safe until everywhere is safe. At the WHO, we have ensured that the low and middle-income countries have access to safe and effective COVID-19 tests, treatment and vaccine.”

Over the post-COVID world, he said,

The post-COVID world will be filled with challenges. To overcome them, WHO needs to be a trailblazer, empowered to work towards a new vision that allows it to realise its full potential and strengthen health care systems across member nations.

Dr Harsh Vardhan’s statement comes as the worldwide tally of COVID-19 cases surpassed the 100 million mark on Wednesday (January 27), according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The United States continues to be the worst affected country with 25,407,414 cases.

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(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.