The head of the World Health Organization on Monday declared 2022 must be the year "we end" the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it should also be the year "all countries invest in preventing a future disaster on this scale".
"2022 must be the year we end the pandemic, but it must also be the year that all countries invest in preventing a future disaster on this scale and in accelerating efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals. That means investing in resilient health systems built on primary health care, with universal health coverage as the goal," Tedros said.
"Even before the pandemic, one billion people were spending more than 10% of their household budget on health care. When people can't access the services they need or can't afford them, individuals, families, communities and entire societies are put at risk. In the year ahead, WHO is committed to doing everything in our power to end the pandemic and to beginning a new era in global health, an era in which health is at the center of every country's development plans," he said.
The WHO's director-general affirmed the United Nations health body's commitment to "end the pandemic and to begin a new era in global health".
"What happens in the future, whether in 2022 or beyond, is on how best we're using the tools we have at hand, not only vaccines, but all the tools that we have at hand. If we do that, I think we can better off. That's what I would say. So let's do the vaccines, let's do also all the public health measures and we can be in a better condition because we know the virus better now and we have better tools. We know the virus better and we have better tools. It's a matter of implementing properly," Tedros said.
While Tedros has sounded a warning about the omicron variant of the virus and recommended cancelling events over the festive period, he appeared optimistic about tackling the pandemic in 2022.
"We know the virus better and we have better tools. It's a matter of implementing properly," he said.
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