The World Health Organization’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a new statement that as colder weather approaches in the northern hemisphere and people spend more time indoors, the risks of transmission and intensive hospitalization will increase in the coming months – not only for the Corona virus, but for other diseases as well, including influenza, but none of us are helpless – please vaccinate if you haven’t already.
And if you need a booster, get one; if you can’t get away, don a mask; and try to avoid crowds, especially inside. There’s a lot of discussion about learning to live with this virus, Tedros said, adding, but we can’t live with 15,000. We can’t live with one fatality every week, escalating hospitalizations and fatalities, and unequal access to vaccinations and other resources.
He emphasized that learning to live with Corona does not imply pretending it does not exist; rather, we must utilize the tools at our disposal to protect ourselves and others.
He went on to say that over the last four weeks, the number of deaths recorded internationally has climbed by 35 , and that 15,000 people have died as a result of Corona in the last week alone, adding that 15,000 deaths per week is completely unacceptable when it comes to Corona. We have all of the instruments we need to avoid infection and save lives; we are all sick of this virus and the pandemic, but the virus is not sick of us.
According to him, the omicron mutant remains the dominant variant, with the BA.5 subvariant accounting for more than 90 of the shared sequences in the last month. However, the number of weekly shared sequences has decreased by 90 since the beginning of this year, as has the number of countries participating. The sequences are 75 off, making it impossible to determine how the virus has mutated.
He went on to say that more than 35,000 instances of monkeypox have been reported to the World Health Organization from 92 countries and territories, with 12 deaths, and that about 7,500 cases were recorded last week, a 20 rise from the previous week.
He added that the primary focus of all countries should be to ensure that they are prepared for monkeypox and to stop transmission using effective public health tools such as enhanced disease surveillance, close contact tracing, tailored risk reporting and community engagement, and risk reduction measures. Vaccinations may also play an essential role in outbreak containment, and there is a large demand for vaccines from afflicted communities in many countries.
However, the quantity of vaccinations and data on their efficacy are still restricted, while data from certain countries is beginning to arrive.
He explained that the World Health Organization is in close contact with vaccine manufacturers, as well as countries and organizations that want to share doses, and that he is concerned that the unfair access to monkeypox vaccines seen during the Corona pandemic will reoccur, leaving the poorest behind.
As we reported last week, a World Health Organization-convened panel of specialists agreed to rename the two known kinds of monkeypox virus using Roman numerals, noting that the sickness and virus are still being renamed.
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