On January 27, the COVID-19 Emergency Committee of World Health Organization (WHO) met to discuss whether the situation COVID-19 epidemic currently corresponds to the highest global alert level.
Speaking at the start of the Committee meeting, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that emergency period of the pandemic is not over yet as the number of deaths is still increasing, while warning that global response for the crisis “remains limited.”
“As we enter the fourth year of the pandemic, we are certainly in a much better position than we were a year ago, when the epidemic wave (caused by the Omicron variant) peaked,” Tedros said. points and WHO has recorded more than 70,000 deaths per week.”
According to the WHO Director-General, the weekly mortality rate fell below 10,000 in October 2022 but has increased again since the beginning of December 2022.
[Nhật Bản hạ cấp độ dịch COVID-19 tương đương với cúm mùa]
The WHO Director-General said that vaccines, tests and treatments play an important role in saving patients’ lives, preventing disease progression and easing pressure on health systems and systems. healthcare staff.
However, he said the global response to the epidemic is still confusing because in many countries these powerful, life-saving tools have not yet reached the people who need it most – especially the elderly and the elderly. medical staff.
In addition, public trust in these COVID-19 prevention tools is being eroded by “a flood” of misinformation and misinformation, while health systems are still struggling to cope. with the burden of COVID-19.
The independent committee meets every three months to discuss the pandemic and report to the WHO Director-General, who will then decide whether COVID-19 remains a global emergency.
Worldwide, nearly 665 million cases of COVID-19, including more than 6.7 million deaths, have been reported to WHO. However, this UN health agency has always emphasized that the real number will be much higher.
Meanwhile, more than 13.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been used worldwide.
Minh Chau (VNA/Vietnam+)