By Munachimso Obienyi
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that it is working with its member-states to build a strong architecture for health emergency preparedness and response with a new pandemic accord and strengthen international health regulations.
This was even as it added that it is doing that with enhanced financing through the newly established financial intermediary fund, with enhanced systems and tools for surveillance, preparedness and equitable access to tools, including a truly multilateral supply chain, clearing house and with a strengthened and sustainable finance.
The Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, stated this at the COVID-19 Global Action Plan Ministerial Meeting while revealing that about two-third of the world have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic, including 75 per cent of health workers and older people.
Whilst noting that the number of recent weekly reported deaths is almost the lowest recorded since the pandemic began, the WHO chief urged countries to increase vaccination coverage and ramp up surveillance and testing, in order to end the pandemic.
Dr. Ghebreyesus said:
“We have never been in a better position to end COVID-19 as a global health emergency. The number of weekly reported deaths is near the lowest since the pandemic began, and two-third of the world is vaccinated, including 75 per cent of health workers and older people. But there is much more to be done. Huge disparities in vaccination coverage, implementing rate of testing and sequencing, and gaps in access to antivirals put us all at risk.
We have the tools to bring the acute phase of this pandemic to an end, but only if we vaccinate all health workers and older people, keep testing and expand access to effective antivirals. At the same time, the WHO is working with our member-states to build a strong architecture for health emergency preparedness and response, with a new pandemic accord and strengthen international health regulations, with enhanced financing through the newly established financial intermediary fund, with enhanced systems and tools for surveillance, preparedness and equitable access to tools, including a truly multilateral supply chain, clearing house and with a strengthened and sustainable finance, with WHO playing a central coordinating role.
It will be recalled that as at September 25, over 38 million Nigerians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 35 per cent of the total eligible population target for vaccination. Also, over 12 million Nigerians are currently partially vaccinated, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
