Despite progress made by countries globally, the COVID-19 pandemic is not even close to being over, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, told a news conference that the pandemic is speeding up globally as countries are experiencing resurgence of cases.
“We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is: this is not even close to being over.
“Although many countries have made some progress, globally the pandemic is actually speeding up. We’re all in this together, and we’re all in this for the long haul.
“The critical question that all countries will face in the coming months is how to live with this virus. That is the new normal. Some countries are now experiencing a resurgence of cases as they start to re-open their economies and societies”, he said.
Ghebreyesus informed that WHO will convene a second meeting to assess progress on research and development and re-evaluate research priorities for the next stage of the pandemic
“We already learned a lot about this virus, but there’s still a lot we don’t know and there are still tools we need”, he said.
The DG noted that many countries have implemented unprecedented measures to suppress transmission and save lives. He said the measures have been successful in slowing the spread of the virus, but they have not completely stopped it.
“Most people remain susceptible. The virus still has a lot of room to move”, he added.
He said said now is the time all countries to renew their commitment to universal health coverage as the cornerstone of social and economic development – and to building the safer, fairer, greener, more inclusive world we all want.
“We will need even greater stores of resilience, patience, humility and generosity in the months ahead.
“We have already lost so much – but we cannot lose hope”, Ghebreyesus said.
The DG also informed that WHO has raised more than US$223 million for the response, since it launched the Solidarity Response Fund.
