His remarks mark a change in tone just months after he said the world was never in a better position to end the pandemic.
At least 90% of the world’s population has some form of immunity to SARS-COV-2 either through infection or vaccination, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today, warning of the risk of lax vigilance.
Gaps in strategies to deal with Covid-19 this year continue to create the perfect conditions for a deadly new strain to emerge as parts of China record a rise in infections, the head of the World Health Organization said.
His remarks mark a change in tone just months after he said the world was never in a better position to end the pandemic.
“We are much closer to being able to say that the emergency phase of the pandemic is over, but we are not there yet,” Tedros said.
“Gaps in testing … and in vaccinations continue to create the perfect conditions for a new variant of concern to emerge that could cause significant mortality,” Tedros said.
Covid-19 infections are at record highs in China and have started to rise in parts of Britain after months of falling.
Further easing of Covid-19 testing requirements and quarantine rules in some Chinese cities was met with mixed feelings of relief and concern today, as hundreds of millions of people await an expected change in national virus policies following widespread social unrest.
“While Covid-19 and influenza may be mild infections for many, we must not forget that they can cause serious illness or even death for the most vulnerable in our communities,” said Mary Ramsey, director of public health programs at UK Health Security Agency.
The WHO urged governments worldwide to reach out to people at risk of health, such as those over 60 and those with underlying diseases, and encourage them to get vaccinated.
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