“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic – we are not there yet, but the end is in sight,” said WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Source: UN Geneva, Flickr.
The end of the COVID-19 pandemic “is in sight” according to the director general of the World Health Organization.
The WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on Wednesday that the end is nearing for the virus that has killed over 6 million people.
“Last week, the number of weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 was the lowest since March 2020,” he said.
“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic – we are not there yet, but the end is in sight.”
He compared the coronavirus response to a marathon and urged people against complacency and to not slow their efforts.
“We can see the finish line. We’re in a winning position. But now is the worst time to stop running. Now is the time to run harder and make sure we cross the line and reap the rewards of all our hard work,” he said.
“If we don’t take this opportunity now, we run the risk of more variants, more deaths, more disruption and more uncertainty.”
The WHO has released six policy briefs that will outline key actions for governments to take to help reach the end of the pandemic.
The documents contain guidance on testing, vaccination, best practice when managing the disease, maintaining infection control measures in health facilities, preventing the spread of misinformation, and community engagement.
One of these papers says: “With access to and appropriate use of existing life-saving tools, COVID-19 can become a manageable disease with significantly reduced morbidity and mortality.”
This is the most optimistic the international health body has been since COVID-19 was declared as an international emergency in January 2020 then a pandemic three months later.
Their next meeting of experts in October will decide whether the pandemic still represents a public health emergency on an international level.
