Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on the world community to learn from the current COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for a new one.
The emergence of another virus on Earth, the spread of which will be impossible to contain, is "undeniable from a biological point of view," he said at the meeting of the G20 finance and health ministers in Rome. This information is reported by TASS.
According to Ghebreyesus, “high-level threats” require “high-level political participation” to combat them. In this regard, he called on the G20 to support the conclusion of a legally binding international agreement on preparing for and responding to pandemics. A decision on this matter is planned to be taken at a special session of the World Health Assembly, scheduled for November.
The head of WHO drew attention to the lack of equality in the world in access to vaccines. He recalled that now 36% of the world’s inhabitants are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, but in Africa this figure is "only 6%."
At the same time, as the CEO stressed, "although vaccines save lives, they do not stop the transmission" of infection. Therefore, each country must use all the tools, including the developed measures in the health and social sphere, "in combination with testing, treatment and vaccines," he summed up.
According to WHO, as of 29 October, 245,373,039 cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the world during the pandemic, 4,979,421 people died. Most cases of infection were recorded in the United States (45,445,663), India (34,246,157) and Brazil (21,766,168). In terms of the number of deaths, the first line is occupied by the United States (736,801), followed by Brazil (606,679) and India (457,191).