WHO's Tedros warns that global conditions are ideal for more Covid variants to emerge.

• The WHO's top official cautioned on Monday that the conditions are favorable for Covid-19 to evolve into additional variants, and it is risky to believe that the pandemic is nearing its conclusion.
• Last week, an average of 100 cases were reported every three seconds, and someone lost their life to the virus every 12 seconds, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
• The pandemic could reach a turning point in 2022, according to Tedros' optimism.

The WHO's top official cautioned on Monday that the conditions are favorable for Covid-19 to evolve into additional variants, and it is risky to believe that the pandemic is nearing its conclusion.

Since the discovery of the omicron variant nine weeks ago, over 80 million Covid cases have been reported to the WHO, surpassing the total number of cases reported in all of 2020.

According to Tedros, last week, the organization received an average of 100 cases every three seconds, and someone lost their life to the virus every 12 seconds.

Despite the surge in COVID-19 cases, the number of deaths has not increased at the same rate, although fatalities are rising in all regions, particularly in Africa where access to vaccines is a challenge.

Tedros cautioned that assuming omicron is the final variant and we've reached the endgame is dangerous. In fact, the global conditions are conducive to the emergence of more variants. To stop the pandemic, we need to alter the conditions that are fueling it.

He stated that we cannot take a chance on a virus whose development we cannot manage or forecast.

Another WHO official cautioned last week that despite a decrease in omicron cases in certain countries, the high infection rates globally could result in new variants due to the virus's ability to mutate.

Covid emergency ‘can end this year’

The pandemic could reach a turning point in 2022, according to Tedros' optimism.

Tedros acknowledged that people were weary of the pandemic and that governments were striving to strike a balance between infection control and public acceptance, but he emphasized that there were no straightforward solutions.

If countries implement the WHO's strategies and tools effectively, we can end the acute phase of the pandemic this year and declare Covid-19 as a global health emergency.

The strategies involved attaining the WHO's objective of immunizing 70% of the global population, enhancing testing capacities, and guaranteeing equal distribution of oxygen and antiviral Covid treatments.

Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, stated at the World Economic Forum's virtual Davos Agenda event last week that society could put an end to the Covid emergency in 2022 if longstanding disparities, such as equal access to vaccines and healthcare, were resolved.

‘Critical juncture’

On Monday, Tedros addressed the WHO's executive board following a news conference he held with Svenja Schulze, Germany's minister for economic cooperation and development.

At the conference, Tedros commended Germany, the largest contributor to the WHO, for adopting a "solidarity and multilateralism" approach to global public health.

The pandemic's third year has made these qualities even more crucial, as stated by Tedros to reporters.

We possess the means to conclude the sharp stage of this pandemic. However, we must apply them fairly and prudently.

Germany's dedication to global cooperation and addressing the pandemic as the new G-7 leader has been commended by Tedros, who stated that the country's efforts serve as an inspiration for all. However, he cautioned that there is still a long way to go.

Over the past four weeks, more than 71 million new Covid cases were recorded globally, with the U.S. and France recording the highest number of cases, while Yemen and Vanuatu suffered the highest case fatality rates.

In Yemen, with a civil war and less than 2% of the population vaccinated, almost 1 in 5 people who contracted Covid-19 died, according to JHU. Meanwhile, in Vanuatu, where just a third of the population is immunized against the virus, the case fatality rate is 14%.

According to Tedros, world leaders should not solely rely on vaccinations to protect lower-income countries from the virus's effects.

According to Tedros, vaccines alone will not put an end to the pandemic. Several countries require diagnostics, lifesaving therapeutics, such as oxygen, and support for vaccine distribution.