As Covid-19 Continues, UN Cautions That Pandemic Is Far from Over

As Covid-19 continues in Asia, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has cautioned that the awful pandemic is far from over.

Guterres also urged governments and pharmaceutical firms to work together to deliver vaccines to every person, everywhere.

In a video message “One World Protected - Break Covid Now” to the GAVI COVAX Advance Market Commitment Summit 2022, the UN chief said Friday that the gathering is a critical reminder that the "COVID-19 pandemic is far from over."

He also noted: “We’re seeing 1.5 million new cases each day. Large outbreaks are spreading in Asia. A new wave is sweeping across Europe,” adding that some countries are reporting their highest death rates since the start of the pandemic.

In the same connection, he said the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is a “startling reminder” of how quickly Covid-19 can mutate and spread — especially in the absence of high vaccination coverage.

"While some high-income countries are preparing for their second booster doses, one-third of humanity remains unvaccinated," he rued.

“This is a brutal indictment of our deeply unequal world. It’s also a prime breeding ground for new variants more deaths and increased human and economic misery,” he said.

Guterres said the next variant is not a question of “if” but of “when.”

“We are far from our target of every country reaching 70 percent vaccination coverage by the middle of this year. And with new variants emerging every four months on average, time is of the essence,” he said.

The UN official affirmed that governments and pharmaceutical companies need to work together to deliver vaccines to every person, everywhere — not just in wealthy countries.