End of Covid-19 is in sight: World Health Organization

Geneva, 15 September 2022 (TDI): World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing six short policy briefs outlining the key actions all governments must take to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced, “The end of COVID-19 is in sight.”

The world has never been in a better position to end the pandemic, says @who.

Nevertheless, countries must maintain efforts to fight #COVID19 – including vaccinating vulnerable groups, increasing access to testing & treatment & planning for future surges. https://t.co/4jcBlZaGTJ

— United Nations (@UN) September 15, 2022

He added that the world has never been in a better position to end the pandemic. If the governments fail to act right now, there remains a risk of more variants and deaths.

Also read: IMF responds to COVID-19 crisis

The Director General of WHO said that the world is still not there yet, it is like a marathon and the finish line is in view. The world must continue putting in more effort to eradicate this pandemic.

If not done, the marathon might be lost. He urged the world to seize this opportunity and follow the policy briefs.

“They are a summary, based on the evidence and experience of the last 32 months of the pandemic. They outline best ways to save lives, protect health systems, and avoid social and economic disruption.”

Policy briefs

These briefs emphasize strengthening the policies against COVID-19 and future pathogens with the potential of causing a pandemic.

They include recommendations regarding vaccination, continued testing, and effective treatment for COVID-19 at primary healthcare units.

Furthermore, the briefs encourage the authorities to pre-plan in case of future surges, securing supplies, equipment, and extra health workers. They must train health workers to identify and address misinformation and create high-quality information material.

WHO’s concerns regarding COVID-19

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead on COVID-19 at WHO, highlighted that the virus is still “intensely circulating” worldwide. WHO believes that the case numbers being reported are underestimated.

She reaffirmed her warning that the more the virus circulates, the more opportunities it has to mutate.

However, she said, these future waves hopefully will not translate into waves because there are now effective tools such as vaccines and antivirals specifically for COVID-19. WHO urges the world to follow the policy briefs to end this pandemic as soon as possible.