WHO maintains the maximum alert level for the covid-19 pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday that it is maintaining the maximum alert level for the covid-19 pandemic, exactly three years after declaring the disease an international public health emergency.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus followed the recommendations of the COVID-19 Emergency Committee, made up of experts, which met on Friday, according to a statement.

The committee declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020, at a time when there were still no deaths out of just 100 cases outside China.

This Friday, WHO counted more than 752 million sick and almost 7 million deadaccording to official data, which the organization itself admits is far below reality.

“As we enter the fourth year of the pandemic, there is no doubt that we are now in a much better situation than we were a year ago, when the omicron wave was at its peak,” said Tedros at the opening of his board meeting. Executive Committee, meeting in Geneva.

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The official immediately underlined: “Since the beginning of December, reported weekly deaths have increased. Over the past eight weeks, more than 170,000 people have died from covid-19.”

My message is clear: ‘Don’t underestimate this virusit has shocked us and will continue to shock us and will continue to kill, unless we do more to deliver healthcare to those who need it and to fight disinformation on a global scale,” he said last week.

In the week of January 16-22, half of the 40,000 officially counted deaths occurred in China, which recently abandoned its “zero covid” policy, one of the toughest in the world, in the face of popular discontent.

The Committee estimates that “the covid-19 pandemic is probably underway a transition phase”.

The WHO director regretted that very few people are vaccinated against the virus, both due to lack of vaccines and mistrust, despite several studies demonstrating its positive effects.

“We cannot control the covid-19 virus, but we can do more to address the vulnerabilities of populations and health systems,” Tedros said on Monday.

The world remains “dangerously unprepared” for the next pandemic, the Red Cross warned in a report on the lessons of Covid released on Monday.

“The next pandemic may be imminent, and if the Covid-19 experience doesn’t speed up preparations, what will?” asked Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

“Global preparedness for the covid-19 pandemic has been inadequate and we are still suffering the consequences. There will be no excuse” if we do not prepare, he added.

However, there is some sign of relief.

The epidemiological situation is improving in several countries and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that the wave of infections in China “is about to end and there has not been a significant recovery of cases during the holidays of the Lunar New Year”.

In addition, “no new variants have been registered after December 12” in China, and the number of deaths and serious cases is declining.

Source: EFE

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