We are not yet living with COVID19 responsibly. Not even close.
↗️People are dying unnecessarily
↗️Millions infected each week
↗️Billions not fully vaccinated
↗️Lives & livelihoods suffering
↘️Dismantling systems needed to end the global emergency & fight the next one
While some countries have managed to significantly reduce hospitalisations and deaths, many have not. Too many vulnerable people continue to be missed with vaccination, clinical care, tests, accurate & reliable information.
Vaccine equity remains a significant problem globally.
Far too many countries have abandoned public health measures (masks indoors, distance), not invested (ventilation, PPE, HCW), continue to politicise COVID19 undermining the effectiveness of tools that work, all of which allows the virus to continue to circulate intensely.
This also results in too many deaths (4% ⬆️ from last week globally), more LongCOVID, more health worker burnout, further inequities in access and care.
And this risks more variants emerging that are more transmissible, may be more severe, may have more immune escape.
What keeps me up at night is the complacency, people suffering, death, the dismantling of surveillance, testing, sequencing, workforce.
Pandemic preparedness should be happening now… while we are fighting the current pandemic. Invest now. What are we waiting for?
Latest World Health Organization COVID19 Weekly Epidemiological Update and Weekly Operational Update: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Situation Reports (who.int)
Maria Van Kerkhove is an infectious disease epidemiologist; COVID-19 Technical Lead, Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Lead, WHO Health Emergencies Programme.
