The WHO chief also warned that the pandemic’s second year will be “far more deadly” than the first for the world.
The WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said India’s Covid-19 situation remains “hugely concerning”, with several states continuing to to see a worrying number of cases, hospitalisations and deaths. The global health body chief also warned that the pandemic’s second year will be “far more deadly” than the first for the world.
The WHO is responding to the COVID-19 surge in India and has shipped thousands of oxygen concentrators, tents for mobile field hospitals, masks and other medical supplies, Ghebreyesus added.
“India remains hugely concerning, with several states continuing to see a worrying number of cases, hospitalisations and deaths,” he said at the daily media briefing.
“And we thank all the stakeholders who are supporting India,” he added.
India is presently battling a massive second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, having 3,43,144 people who tested positive for the virus on Friday, taking the country’s caseload to 2,40,46,809. The death count stands at 2,62,317.
The emergency-like situation was not restricted to India, Ghebreyesus pointed out.
“Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Egypt are just some of the countries that are dealing with spikes in cases and hospitalisations,” he said adding that some countries in the Americas still have high numbers of cases and as a region, the Americas accounted for 40 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths last week.
He said that there are also spikes in some countries in Africa. “These countries are in heightened response mode and WHO will continue to provide support in all ways possible.”
The WHO Director-General, noting that COVID-19 has already cost more than 3.3 million lives across the world, said, “We’re on track for the second year of this pandemic to be far more deadly than the first.”
Ghebreyesus lamented that vaccine supply remains a key challenge and that saving lives and livelihoods with a combination of public health measures and vaccination – not one or the other – is the only way out of the pandemic.
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