TheCable

Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), says the world is in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said this on Wednesday during a press briefing while explaining to journalists that the world is not yet there, but is well on its way.

The report comes as Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) declared that over 34 million Nigerians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The figure represents 30.6% of the eligible persons across the country.

Also, while over 47 million eligible Nigerians — representing 42.2% of the eligible population — have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, over 3.6 million others, who are completely vaccinated, have received their booster doses.

However, the WHO chief warned that if the world does not seize the opportunity now, there is still a risk of more variants, deaths, disruption, and uncertainty.

“A marathon runner does not stop when the finish line comes into view. She runs harder, with all the energy she has left. So must we. We can see the finish line. We’re in a winning position. But now is the worst time to stop running,” he said.

He added that WHO has released six short policy briefs outlining the key actions that all governments must take now to “seize the opportunity and finish the race”.

The policy briefs are a summary, based on the evidence and experience of the last 32 months, outlining what works best to save lives, protect health systems, and avoid social and economic disruption.

The documents include recommendations regarding vaccination of most at-risk groups, continued testing and sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and integrating effective treatment for COVID-19 into primary healthcare systems.