WHO Warns, Covid-19 Pandemic Not Over Yet

Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), warns that COVID-19 is not over yet, despite reports of a significant reduction in the number of cases and deaths of COVID-19. Mr. Ghebreyesus stated this at the opening of the World Health Assembly on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Keeping in mind that the talks will be held for the first time since 2019, he asked ministers where the world would be two years after the worst health crisis began. He said many countries have lifted all restrictions, saying, life looks the same as it was before the pandemic, but due to lower testing rates, reported cases are increasing in nearly 70 countries in all regions.

He agrees that progress is being made with 60% of the world's population being already vaccinated, while nearly a billion people in low-income countries have not yet been vaccinated. 

WHO chief also said that increased infection meant increased mortality and increased risk of the emergence of new variants, and reduced current testing and sequencing were blinded by the evolution of the virus. He also noted that in some countries political commitment to vaccine deployment is still inadequate and there is still a gap between operational and financial capacity.