The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that conditions remain ideal for more variants of the coronavirus to emerge and that it is dangerous to assume Omicron is the last or «we are at the end of the game».
But the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has also said that the acute phase of the epidemic may end this year – if some key goals are achieved.
Ghebreyesus presented a range of global health achievements and concerns on issues such as reducing tobacco use, combating resistance to antimicrobial treatments, and the risks of climate change to human health.
But he said that «ending the acute phase of the epidemic must remain our collective priority.»
There are different scenarios for how the epidemic would spread and how the acute phase could end. «It is dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last alternative or that we are at the end of the game,» Ghebreyesus said at the start of the WHO Executive Board meeting.
«On the contrary, globally, conditions are ideal for more variables to emerge.»
But he insisted, «We can end Covid-19 as a global health emergency, and we can do it this year,» by reaching targets such as the World Health Organization’s goal of vaccinating 70% of each country’s population by the middle of this year. , focusing on those most at risk of contracting Covid-19, and improving testing rates and sequencing to more closely track the virus and its emerging variants.
“It is true that we will live with Covid for the foreseeable future and will need to learn how to manage it through a sustainable and integrated acute respiratory disease system” to help prepare for future pandemics, he said.
But learning to live with Covid cannot mean we give this virus a free ride. It cannot mean that we accept approximately 50,000 deaths a week from a preventable and treatable disease.
In stark terms, Ghebreyesus has also called for a strengthening of the World Health Organization and increased funding for it to help avert health crises.
“Let me put it clearly: If the current funding model continues, the WHO will fail. The paradigm shift in global health that is needed now must be matched by a paradigm shift in WHO funding.”
His comments come after the World Health Organization’s special envoy for Covid-19, Dr David Nabarro, said the virus should not be likened to influenza.
Cross the middle mark
Nabarro said «the end is in sight» but said Europe was «beyond the halfway mark in the marathon».
Asked about observations that Covid-19 should be treated like the flu, Nabarro told Sky News: «I still wonder what the people who made these amazing predictions that I and my colleagues at the World Health Organization do not know.
“You see, what people from all over the world are seeing and reporting to the World Health Organization is that it is still a very dangerous virus, especially for people who have not been vaccinated and who have not been exposed to it before.
“It can also evolve and form variables and we’ve seen many of them but we know there aren’t many that are far away.
So quite frankly, we’re not saying this should be considered like the flu or actually like anything else. It’s a new virus, and we should continue to treat it as if it was full of surprises, very disgusting and somewhat cunning.
He told the broadcaster: “All governments everywhere should not be suggesting to people that the data has suddenly changed, or that viruses have suddenly become incredibly weak.
Governments should set the tone and not be shy about it.
«So all I’m asking every leader in the world to do is help everyone stay focused on the job that keeps this virus at bay, prevents people from getting infected if at all possible, and makes sure we’re well prepared to deal with more surges when they happen. «.
But he said the end of Europe’s battle with Covid-19 was «in sight».
«The end is in sight, but how long will it take to get there? What kind of difficulties will we face on the way? These are the questions that none of us can answer because this virus continues to give us challenges and surprises.»
He added: «It feels like we’re only halfway in a marathon and we can see that yes, there is an end and the sprinters are ahead of us.
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«But we still have a long way to go and it will be difficult.»
restrictions lifted
On Saturday, the vast majority of Covid restrictions were lifted in Ireland, with hospitality venues returning to normal business hours and social distancing measures scrapped.
The recommendations were contained in a letter sent by Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan to Health Secretary Stephen Donnelly on Friday.
The chief executive said there was no longer a rational public health reason for the majority of actions taken.
Announcing the lifting of restrictions, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said NPHET had confirmed that Ireland had «survived the Omicron storm» and that «today is a good day».
NPHET told the government that the infection rate was declining and that the main indicators on which the government based its decision were moving «in the right direction».
«It’s our vaccines and boosters that have prevented the recent wave of infections turning into more serious levels of illness and death,» Martin said.
He also said he could not promise that there would be no more «ups and downs» in the pandemic that would require difficult decisions in the future, adding that the government had always been «guided by science» and did not want to hinder people. Liberties for too long.
yesterday, 4,731 cases of Covid-19 have been reported by PCR, and there have been 3,395 cases through antigen tests, with 845 people hospitalized and 79 in the intensive care unit.