GENEVA (Reuters) – Confusion and complacency in tackling COVID-19 means the pandemic is far from over, but it could be brought under control in months with proven public health measures, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday.
To date, approximately 780 million vaccines have been administered worldwide, but measures, including wearing masks and maintaining physical distance, must be used to reverse the path.
“We too want societies and economies to reopen, and to resume travel and trade,” Tedros told a press briefing.
“But right now, intensive care units in many countries are overflowing and people are dying – and it’s completely avoidable.”
“The COVID19 pandemic is far from over. But we have many reasons for optimism. The decline in the number of cases and deaths during the first two months of the year shows that this virus and its variants can be stopped, ”he added.
The transfer was driven by “confusion, complacency and inconsistency in public health measures”.
India has surpassed Brazil to become the country with the second highest rate of infections worldwide after the United States as it battles against a massive second wave, with about 105 million vaccine doses in a population of 1.4 billion.
“We are now at a critical point in the pandemic, the trajectory of this pandemic is growing for the 7th consecutive week,” said WHO team leader on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove.
She noted that the number of cases was up 9% last week, the seventh consecutive week of increases and a 5% increase in deaths, adding, “If you look at the epi (epidemic) curve and the trajectory of the pandemic now it is growing exponentially ”.
Tedros said that in some countries, despite continuous broadcasts, restaurants and nightclubs were full and markets were open and busy and few people took precautions.
“Some people seem to take the approach that if they are relatively young, it doesn’t matter if they get COVID-19,” he said.
Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz and Stephanie N regardsay, edited by William Maclean