The pandemic is not over, and the World Health Organization wants countries to avoid thinking that it is.
At the 74th World Health Assembly on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that any country thinking the pandemic is over is making a huge error.
“The reality is, we still have a lot of work to do to end this pandemic,” he said, as reported by CNN. “We’re very encouraged that cases and deaths are continuing to decline globally, but it would be a monumental error for any country to think the danger has passed.”
Tedros said member states should commit to targets of at least 10% of the population vaccinated through September, with 30% by the end of 2021, adding that “tailored and consistent” public health measures and equitable vaccinations are the ticket out of the pandemic.
“One day – hopefully soon – the pandemic will be behind us, but the psychological scars will remain for those who have lost loved ones, health workers who have been stretched beyond breaking point and the millions of people of all ages confronted with months of loneliness and isolation,” he said.
WHO reports that there have been 169,597415 COVID cases globally and 3,530,582 deaths. As of May 27, 1,546,316,352 vaccine doses have been administered.
