A not-so-hopeful message was delivered this Monday, May 24, by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as he warned that we must be alert to a new pandemic that could be more contagious and deadly than COVID-19.
“This will not be the last time the world faces the threat of a pandemic. According to evolutionary estimates, a new virus will emerge that could be even more contagious and more deadly than the current virus,” emphasized the WHO chief.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also commented that what is important is to learn the right lessons from what we, as humanity, have experienced during these months of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic.
“This is the time for bold ideas, commitment, and leadership, to do things that have never been done. We have to choose an option: between cooperation, competition, or confrontation,” commented Ghebreyesus.
“If the last are the first to receive help, if the weakest are the first to be strengthened, and if the most vulnerable are the first to be protected, then we all win,” he highlighted.
Unequal Vaccination
The WHO Director-General also once again highlighted the slow and unequal progress of the COVID-19 vaccination process in countries with fewer resources.
“So today I call on Member States to support a massive effort to vaccinate at least 10 percent of the population of every country by September.” He added that the campaign's goal would be to vaccinate 250 million people in low- and middle-income countries within four months, including all their healthcare workers.
