Mumbai: World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that the world is in the ‘early stage’ of the third wave of COVID-19 as cases of the delta variant rise.
“Unfortunately … we are now in the early stages of the third wave”, he said. Tedros also said that the Covid-19 virus continues to evolve, resulting in more communicable forms.
“The delta variant is now in over 111 countries and we expect it to be the major COVID-19 strain spreading around the world soon if it hasn’t already,” he said.
He sounded the alarm at a new reversal of that positive trend, recalling the continued decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths from increases in vaccination rates in Europe and North America in recent months, UN News reports.
On Wednesday, the WHO chief said the spread of the delta variant, coupled with increased social mobility and inconsistent use of proven public health measures, is increasing both the number of cases and deaths.
Tedros drew the attention of the emergency committee on COVID-19 to the ongoing “shocking disparity” in the global distribution of vaccines, as well as unequal access to life-saving equipment, UN News reports.
He reiterated his concern that inequality has created a two-track pandemic – that is, one track for countries with the greatest access to vaccines, who are lifting restrictions and reopening their societies, and a second track for those without vaccines access who are left “at the mercy of the virus.”
Tedros reiterated WHO’s appeal for a massive push to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of every country’s population by September, at least 40 per cent by the end of 2021, and at least 70 per cent by mid-2022.
(With Agency Inputs)
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