The number of new COVID-19 cases reported to the UN health agency has declined for seven weeks in a row, in what the top official there called on Monday ¡°the longest sequence of weekly declines during the pandemic so far¡±.
However, while weekly cases are at their lowest since February, ¡°deaths are not falling as quickly¡±, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (), told journalists in Geneva.?
¡°The number of deaths reported last week was similar to the previous week, and the global decline masks a worrying increase in cases and deaths in many countries,¡±?he explained.?
Africa ¡®especially concerning¡¯?
With the least access to vaccines, diagnostics and oxygen supplies for the critically ill, a steep increase in Africa is ¡°especially concerning,¡±?said the??chief.?
A recent Lancet medical journal study showed that despite having fewer reported cases than most other regions, the continent has the highest mortality rate among critically ill?COVID-19?patients.?
And evidence suggests new variants have substantially increased transmission globally.?
¡°That means the risks have increased for people who are not protected, which is most of the world¡¯s population,¡±?he stated.?
Leading nations must step up?
Currently, the virus is moving faster than global vaccine distributions, according to WHO.?
¡°At the G7 Summit on Saturday, I said that to end the pandemic, our shared goal must be to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the world¡¯s population by the time the G7 meets again in Germany next year,¡±?Tedros asserted.?
He said the G7 intergovernmental group and G20 leading industrialized nations had the capacity to provide the 11 billion doses needed, and should ¡°make this happen¡±.?
Tedros also welcomed the G7¡¯s support for WHO, the??and a proposed treaty on pandemic preparedness, along with their announcement of, for less well-off nations, primarily through the UN-backed??equitable shots initiative.?
While ¡°a big help¡we need more, and we need them faster¡±, the UN official said, pointing out that more than 10 thousand lives are being lost every day, adding that ¡°during this press conference alone, more than 420 people will die¡±.?
Vaccine urgency?
Communities need vaccines ¡°now, not next year,¡±?the WHO chief said.?
There are enough vaccine doses to drive down transmission and save lives globally, ¡°if they are used in the right places, for the right people¡±, he stated, prioritizing health workers and those most at risk.?
While high vaccination rates in G7 countries have helped bring COVID cases and deaths to near-record lows, most States still rely solely on public health and social measures to keep COVID-19 at bay.?
However new, more transmissible variants mean more stringent measures in low vaccination areas.?
While vaccines have a clear and measurable impact, assessing public health and social measures is tougher as countries use a range of different methods.?
¡°Disentangling the precise impact of each individual measure can be challenging¡±, said the WHO chief.?
Moreover, effectiveness hinges on the population¡¯s level of adherence and the Government¡¯s commitment of support.?
¡°What matters is not just the measure itself, but how and when it is implemented,¡±?he added.
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