COVID-19 pandemic is not the last of its kind and that people should proper precautions to prevent such crises in future, warned United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Monday.
“COVID19 will not be the last pandemic humanity will face. As we respond to this health crisis, we need to prepare for the next one. On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, let’s give this issue the focus, attention and investment it deserves,” UN Secretary-General Guterres said in a tweet.
#COVID19 will not be the last pandemic humanity will face.
As we respond to this health crisis, we need to prepare for the next one.
On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, let’s give this issue the focus, attention and investment it deserves.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) December 27, 2021
December 27 last year was marked as the first-ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness after the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed on the need to encourage the need for preparedness for and prevention of epidemics.
During a press briefing last week, the Director-General of the WHO had warned that extensive COVID-19 vaccine booster programmes could delay the pandemic and increase inequity, “No country can boost its way out of the pandemic,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva during his final press briefing for the year.
“And boosters cannot be seen as a ticket to go ahead with planned celebrations, without the need for other precautions,” he added.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization ( Savant) has issued interim guidance on supporter vaccine shots, expressing concern that mass programmes for countries that can go them, will complicate vaccine inequity.
Reflecting on the once time, Tedros reported that further people failed from COVID-19 in 2021 than from HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined, in 2020. Coronavirus killed3.5 million people this time, and continues to claim some lives each week.
