WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday declares that the tsunami of corona is inevitable. We are now on verge of facing another tidal wave especially due to Omicron and Delta variant of Covid-19 infection. Maximum number of cases are recorded from 22-28th December globally, which is 6.5 million. This is an increase of 37% compared to the last week data globally. WHO Chief quotes, “I am highly concerned that Omicron, being highly transmissible and spreading at the same time as Delta, is leading to tsunami of cases. This is and will continue to put immense pressure on exhausted health workers and health systems on the brink of collapse.”
Dr. Tedros also speaks about the global vaccination programme and informs that 92 members out of 194 missed the 40% target. It happened because of hoarding of vaccines by the developed and rich nations. Secondly due to the vaccine getting expired or key parts like syringes getting wasted. He also adds that Delta and Omicron are acting like twins with cases surging up quickly to record numbers. This is putting an immense pressure on doctors and health infrastructure globally.
WHO Concerns and Advises:
As WHO states that Omicron might be less severe but the rate of transmission is seventy times higher in Omicron and the global figure is showing all the trends. We have recorded maximum cases in a week of 6.5 million. It is the highest number of infections recorded worldwide since the onset of the pandemic.
As stated earlier that to beat this demon we need Science, Solutions and Solidarity. We have succeeded in science and solutions but sadly the nationalism and political interests breaks the chain in fight against the deadly disease. As proved by the fact that in 2020 we had 1.8 million people loosing life to Covid yet it rose to 3.5 million in 2021. This increase in number despite developing vaccine and treatment shows the political agenda out weighs the Science and Solutions at times. Along with partners WHO created The Covid-19 Tools Act in April 2020 for testing, treatment and vaccines. The level of co-ordination between WHO and 144 member states has more than 3500 national regulatory authorizations.
Dr. Tedros adds that hoarding vaccines, masks, medicines and diagnostic tools done by few nations. This led to the inequality and thus giving chance to the virus to mutate. If we closely study then Delta and Omicron flared up in the countries when vaccination rate was poor. Similarly still many countries are lacking the supply of vaccines and other important tools. He also adds that now developed countries are focusing on booster doses which can lead to shortage of vaccines again in low income countries. He requests all the governments, industries and civil societies to work and reach the target of 70% vaccine coverage globally by July 2022.
Conclusion
Bottom line community and micro planning are essential steps in providing vaccination to the deepest end. Mental health is also vital for patients recovering from corona infection. WHO wants to ensure that healthcare with new treatments is available in every single nation. As virus is still mutating the Technical advisory Groups for Virus Evolution are vigilant to analyse the vaccine efficacy. Ending health inequity remains the key to end the pandemic.
