The World Health Organization intended to get things straight. As some people are hoping to get rid of the coronavirus pandemic by Fall, Michael Ryan, director of WHO’s emergencies program, said this March 1 that “it will be very premature, and I think unrealistic, to think that we’re going to finish with this virus by the end of the year. […] If we’re smart, we can finish with the hospitalizations and the deaths and the tragedy associated with this pandemic”. For your information, vaccination started in many countries and positive effects are already being noticed in some of them.
Speaking of vaccines, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wishes health workforces to get vaccinated as soon as possible, aiming at having vaccination initiated in each country in the world by 40 days.
Earlier in February, WHO already urged Europe to “unite” to vaccinate as soon as possible. WHO regional director called in for unity, suggesting wealthy countries to share their doses with poorer countries, once a certain level of vaccination has been reached. This March 1, he did not hide he was satisfied with the first injections given in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire thanks to the Covax process.
“It’s encouraging to see health workers in lower-income countries starting to be vaccinated, but it’s regrettable that this comes almost three months after some of the wealthiest countries started their vaccination campaigns”, he said. “And it’s regrettable that some countries continue to prioritize vaccinating younger, healthier adults at lower risk of disease in their own populations ahead of health workers and older people elsewhere”, he added.
