2023-04-27 04:00:37
- Deaths from Covid-19 have reached their lowest point since the start of the pandemic.
- It is estimated that one in 10 new infections generates the phenomenon known as Long Covid.
- It is suspected that the SARS CoV-2 virus may never disappear like HIV did.
Almost three and a half years have passed since the start of the most serious health emergency of the last century. After a long period a relative calm was finally achieved. The good part is that the Covid-19 deaths have decreased to its lowest historical point, although one should not make the mistake of believing that the pandemic is over.
In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an update on its plan to help countries deal with another deadly pandemic such as COVID-19.
“We are very encouraged by the steady decline in reported deaths from COVID-19, which has fallen by 95% since the beginning of this year,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom, WHO Director-General.
However, the official warned that in some countries an increase in cases is being registered and in the last four weeks 14,000 people have lost their lives due to this disease.
The head of the UN agency said an estimated one in 10 infections now leads to what is commonly known as “COVID long,” suggesting that hundreds of millions of people will need longer-term care going forward.
As evidenced by the appearance of the new variant XBB.1.16the virus continues to change and is still capable of causing new waves of illness and death.
The virus “is here to stay”
“We are hopeful that sometime this year we can declare the end of COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern. But this virus is here to stay, and all countries will have to learn to manage it along with other infectious diseases.”
The official also announced the fourth update of the Emerging Threats Preparedness and Resilience Initiative, launched by the WHO in February 2020 and which aims to strengthen the capacity of all countries to deal with the next pandemic.
The update incorporates the latest tools available to WHO, which capture shared learning and collective action protocols established during the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent public health emergencies.
The guidance provides a joint approach to respond to a threat or arrival of any respiratory pathogen such as influenza or any other virus in the coronavirus range, which have the ability to rapidly mutate into different variants.
This update outlines how countries can “move from emergency response to long-term, sustained management of COVID-19” over a two-year period.
“Instead of focusing on specific pathogens or diseases, the WHO-designed plan takes an integrated approach to pandemic planning, focusing on groups of pathogens and the systems they affect. To begin with, the strategy will focus on respiratory pathogens, such as influenza, coronaviruses, RSV and as yet unknown pathogens.
The initiative is also designed to promote collaboration between sectors. As COVID-19 demonstrated, a pandemic is not just a health crisis. It affects economies, education, trade, travel, food supply systems, and much more.
Therefore, the Emerging Threats Preparedness and Resilience Initiative will involve as many sectors of human activity as possible, including civil society, religious groups and youth.
Tedros assured that the plan responds to the request for technical guidance and support to promote and strengthen integrated preparedness and response, as indicated in the resolutions of the World Health Assembly.
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