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The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus agrees with a special committee report indicating that COVID-19 remains a public health emergency of international concern.
The International Emergency Committee on Health Regulations released the report after a meeting last week.
He underlined the need to strengthen surveillance and expand access to tests, treatments and vaccines for those most at risk.
In addition, the committee called on all countries to update their national preparedness and response plans.
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Addressing committee members and advisers who met via video conference, the WHO Director-General noted that the reported weekly deaths from COVID-19 have reached levels comparable to the beginning of the pandemic.
In addition, Dr. Tedros noted that almost two-thirds of the world’s population had completed a primary course of vaccination against COVID-19.
However, he expressed concern about continuing disparities in vaccine coverage and countries’ access to antiviral and therapeutic treatments.
The WHO chief was also concerned about reductions in epidemiological and laboratory surveillance activities for COVID-19 that are necessary to monitor the evolution and impact of the virus.
And Tedros pointed to the lifting of many public health and social measures ahead of an expected increase in transmission over the coming months, especially during winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
For its part, the Emergency Committee on International Health Regulations acknowledged progress in controlling the outbreak in many countries.
The committee noted that the number of severe cases and deaths had decreased, with high levels of population immunity in many countries.
But there were concerns that even in the third year of the pandemic, considerable uncertainty remains about the further trajectory of the virus and the impact of future variants.
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