The WHO Says Conditions Are 'Ideal' For More COVID Variants To Emerge After Omicron
The end of the pandemic might not be that close after all.
Many have been holding onto the hope that Omicron is the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the World Health Organization says that's probably not the case.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, threw cold water on that idea this week at a meeting with the WHO's executive board.
According to Dr. Tedros, although the end phase of the pandemic seems to be in reach, there are still many parts of the world where vaccination rates are low and new variants are at a higher risk of emerging.
Dr. Tedros also warned against believing that Omicron will be the last variant to spread around the world.
"On the contrary, globally, the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge," said Dr. Tedros during the meeting.
However, that doesn't mean we're going to be stuck in pandemic mode forever.
Dr. Tedros explained that there are still steps all countries can take towards ending the pandemic, and it involves something that the WHO has been pushing to achieve for a while.
Essentially, we need to get 70% of every country's population fully vaccinated by mid-2022, mainly by focusing on those who are most at risk because of the virus.
By ensuring this goal is reached, we, in turn, will be able to manage the stress on our health care systems and reduce the mortality rate, Dr. Tedros said.
Other steps to take include maintaining social measures that prevent the spread of the virus, in addition to ramping up testing and keeping track of new variants.
Most importantly, though, he says we have to end vaccine inequity.
Dr. Tedros brought up the astonishing fact that while most Western countries are moving towards administering booster shots to their populations, 85% of Africa is yet to receive its first dose.
"We simply cannot end the emergency phase of the pandemic unless we bridge this gap," stressed Dr. Tedros.