The Pandemic Will End In 2022 If We End Inequity Together: WHO Chief

The WHO chief also said that narrow nationalism and vaccine hoarding by some countries undermined equity and paved way for emergence for Omicron variant.

Director General of World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus | Photo: Getty

New Delhi: The world entered the new year of 2022 and subsequently third year of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The Director General of World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however said that he was confident that the pandemic could end this year if all the countries collectively work towards ending inequality.  “As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, I'm confident that this will be the year we end it - but only if we do it together,” the WHO chief said. 

Tedros, on Friday said, “while no country is out of the woods from pandemic, we have many new tools to prevent and treat Covid-19. The longer inequity continues, the higher the risks of the virus evolving in ways we can’t prevent or predict. If we end the inequity, we end the pandemic.”

Without taking any names, the WHO chief said that “narrow nationalism” and “vaccine hoarding” by some countries were the reason that undermined equity, and created the ideal conditions for the emergence of the Omicron variant. 

Stressing on the fact that Covid-19 was not the only health threat that the world was currently undergoing, he said that millions of people have missed out on routine vaccination, services for family planning, treatment for communicable and non-communicable disease. He further said that the WHO has recommended broad use of the world's first malaria vaccine, which if introduced widely and urgently, could save tens of thousands of lives every year. 

At the onset of the new year, Tedos made three new year resolutions for WHO’s ‘Health For All’ goal. 

“My 3 resolutions to support #HealthForAll in 2022.

Vaccinate 70% of people in all countries by July 2022 to end the #COVID19 pandemic.

Strengthen health security by supporting negotiations on a #PandemicAccord.

Help all countries strengthen primary health care,” he tweeted. 

My 3 resolutions to support #HealthForAll in 2022.
1⃣ Vaccinate 70% of people in all countries by July 2022 to end the #COVID19 pandemic.
2⃣ Strengthen 🌍 health security by supporting negotiations on a #PandemicAccord.
3⃣ Help all countries strengthen primary health care. pic.twitter.com/7ROBRUVTN2

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 31, 2021

The WHO Chief further stated that WHO BioHub has been established for countries to share novel biological materials to help prepare the world for future epidemics and pandemics.