COVID-19 pandemic 'a long way from over', says WHO chief
United Nations: Even though more than 780 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have now been administered globally, the pandemic is "a long way from over" but it can be brought under control in months with proven public health measures, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said.
The coronavirus, which emerged first in central China's Wuhan city in December 2019, has infected more than 136,500,400 people and killed over 2,944,500 people across the world.
In January and February, the world saw six consecutive weeks of declining cases. We have now seen seven consecutive weeks of increasing cases, and four weeks of increasing deaths. Last week was the fourth-highest number of cases in a single week so far. Several countries in Asia and the Middle East have seen large increases in cases, WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus said.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, he said while more than 780 million doses of vaccine have now been administered globally, vaccines are a powerful tool but not the only tool.
Physical distancing works. Masks work. Hand hygiene works. Ventilation works. Surveillance, testing, contact tracing, isolation, supportive quarantine and compassionate care they all work to stop infections and save lives, he added.
He voiced concern that confusion, complacency and inconsistency in public health measures and their application are driving transmission and costing lives. Cautioning that the disease is not flu, he said young, healthy people have died from the coronavirus.
And we still don't fully understand the long-term consequences of infection for those who survive. Some people appear to be taking the approach that if they are relatively young, it doesn't matter if they get COVID-19.
Warning that the pandemic is a long way from over, Ghebreyesus said the world has many reasons for optimism.
The decline in cases and deaths during the first two months of the year shows that this virus and its variants can be stopped.
With a concerted effort to apply public health measures alongside equitable vaccination, we could bring this pandemic under control in a matter of months, he said adding that whether we do or not comes down to the decisions and the actions that governments and individuals make every day. The choice is ours.
The top WHO official noted that currently, global manufacturing is insufficient to deliver quick, equitable vaccines and other essential health products. Tedros stressed the importance of investing in sustainable and secure domestic manufacturing capacity and national regulatory authorities , asserted that what can be done today, should be done today .
Noting that WHO and its partners have established a COVAX manufacturing taskforce, to increase supply and build a sustainable vaccine manufacturing platform, he said the UN agency's technical assistance is available in assessing the feasibility of local production and to access technology and know-how.
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Mali's coup leader dismisses president and prime minister
Bamako (Mali), May 25: Mali's former coup leader Assimi Goita took control of the country again Tuesday after firing the president and prime minister of the transitional government following their announcement of a cabinet reshuffle without his permission.
While Goita pledged to go ahead with holding new elections in 2022 as promised, his display of force casts doubt on whether the vote will go ahead without significant interference by the junta that overthrew the last democratically elected president.
The move also raised concerns that the new political unrest could further destabilize efforts to control the West African country's long-running Islamic insurgency. The United Nations now spends some USD 1.2 billion annually on a peacekeeping mission in Mali.
The military's announcement on the state broadcaster came a day after President Bah N'Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were arrested by soldiers and brought to the military headquarters in Kati, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) outside the capital. Both men remained in detention Tuesday.
Their arrests prompted an outcry by the international community, which put out a strongly worded statement warning Mali's military leaders that their actions could undermine global support for the transitional government.
The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS was sending a delegation to Bamako on Tuesday afternoon as the political crisis escalated.
Goita has served as Mali's vice president since the transitional government was formed last September in the wake of his coup d'etat despite initial calls from the international community for an entirely civilian-led transition.
In announcing the removal of the president and prime minister of the transitional government, the military also said that it would be relieving others from their duties including everyone implicated in the situation.
Still, the military insisted: The transition is following its normal course and elections will be held as anticipated in 2022.
Following international pressure last year the junta had promised to organize that vote by next February, 18 months after the coup d'etat shook the country.
The overthrow of democratically elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita came amid mounting military casualties in the fight against Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
The extremists first took control of major towns in northern Mali after the 2012 coup. Only a 2013 military intervention led by the former colonial power France pushed extremists out of those towns. France and a U.N. force have continued to battle the extremist rebels, who operate in rural areas and regularly attack roads and cities.
