March 31, 2022
2 mins read

A third of world remains unvaccinated: WHO

Besides continuing to respond to the pandemic, WHO is also putting in place new measures to help keep the world safe against future epidemics….reports Asian Lite News

 Even as some high-income countries have rolled out fourth and fifth Covid vaccine doses, one-third of the world’s population is yet to receive a single dose, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

This includes about 83 per cent of the population in Africa, while on the other hand many high- and middle-income countries have reached 70 per cent target of Covid vaccination.

“This is not acceptable to me, and it should not be acceptable to anyone,” Ghebreyesus said.

“If the world’s rich are enjoying the benefits of high vaccine coverage, why shouldn’t the world’s poor? Are some lives worth more than others?”

He also unveiled the updated Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan for Covid-19.

“This is our third strategic plan for Covid-19, and it could and should be our last,” Ghebreyesus said, even as he laid out three possible scenarios for how the pandemic could evolve this year.

The most likely scenario is that the virus continues to evolve, but the severity of disease it causes reduces over time as immunity increases due to vaccination and infection.

Periodic spikes in cases and deaths may occur as immunity wanes, which may require periodic boosting for vulnerable populations, he noted.

“In the best-case scenario, we may see less severe variants emerge, and boosters or new formulations of vaccines won’t be necessary. In the worst-case scenario, a more virulent and highly transmissible variant emerges,” Ghebreyesus said.

Against this new threat, people’s protection against severe disease and death, either from prior vaccination or infection, will wane rapidly.

Addressing this situation would require significantly altering the current vaccines and making sure they get to the people who are most vulnerable to severe disease, Ghebreyesus said.

To combat these, Ghebreyesus emphasised on the need for surveillance, laboratories, and public health intelligence; vaccination, public health and social measures; clinical care for Covid-19, and resilient health systems; research and development, and equitable access to tools and supplies; and coordination, as the response transitions from an emergency mode to long-term respiratory disease management.

“We have all the tools we need to bring this pandemic under control: we can prevent transmission with masks, distancing, hand hygiene and ventilation,” the WHO chief noted, adding the importance of tests, treatments and equitable vaccines to save lives.AA

Besides continuing to respond to the pandemic, WHO is also putting in place new measures to help keep the world safe against future epidemics.

“Today we are launching a new strategy to scale up genomic surveillance globally for pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential,” the health agency chief said.

WHO will aso launch a new global strategy for arboviruses – the family of viruses spread by mosquitoes that includes Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and Yellow fever, and which pose a threat to more than half the world’s population.

ALSO READ: Global Covid caseload tops 486.8 mn

Previous Story

Power-packed performance on anvil

Next Story

Sheikh Saif honoured for Expo 2020 Dubai work

Latest from -Top News

Over 45,000 affected by Somalia flash floods 

The Horn of Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, and extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent and intense  More than 45,000 people have been affected by

UNSC Convenes Over India-Pak Crisis

Pakistan is currently an elected member of the Council and will participate in the meeting….reports Asian Lite News The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will be holding a closed-door meeting on Monday

Trump Declares Trade War on Foreign Films

He accused other countries of offering all sorts of incentives and drawing filmmakers and studios away from the US….reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump on Monday (Indian time) announced a

SYRIA RAIDS: Arab League Slams Israel

The Arab League condemned the airstrikes and called on the international community and the United Nations to confront what it described as “repeated violations committed by Israel against the Syrian state.” The

Singapore’s Ruling Party Achieves Landslide Victory

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, whose party won the election, thanked supporters.,..reports Asian Lite News Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) won 87 of the 97 seats in Parliament in Saturday’s general election,
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Global Covid caseload tops 279.4 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 279.4 million, while the

Global Covid caseload tops 513.4 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 513.4 million, while the