According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the world has crossed the tragic milestone of 1 million reported COVID-19 deaths so far this year. We cannot say we are learning to live with COVID-19 when 1 million people have died from COVID-19 this year alone, when we are two-and-a-half years into the pandemic and have all the tools necessary to prevent these deaths, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his opening remarks at the COVID-19 media briefing.
Once again, we request all governments to intensify their efforts to vaccinate all health workers, older people and others at the highest risk. This is in order to reach 70% vaccine coverage. In low-income countries, two-thirds of health workers and three-quarters of older adults remain unvaccinated, according to him.
Vaccinating those most at risk, ensuring access to life-saving therapeutics, continuing testing and sequencing, and creating tailored, proportionate policies are all necessary for limiting transmission and saving lives in countries of all income levels. ”This is the most effective way to drive a truly sustainable recovery,” he said.