Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, says two-thirds of the world population has been vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Noting that the number of recent weekly reported deaths is almost the lowest recorded since the pandemic began, the WHO chief, however, urged countries to increase vaccination coverage and ramp up surveillance and testing, to end the pandemic.
Speaking during the COVID-19 Global Action Plan Ministerial Meeting, 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-thirds of the world is vaccinated, including 75 percent 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.
“Together, we must end the pandemic by vaccinating all those most at risk, and together, we must build a safer world, and we must do it now.”
In Nigeria, as of September 25, over 38 million Nigerians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 35 percent of the total eligible population targeted for vaccination. Also, over 12 million Nigerians are currently partially vaccinated, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
