COVID resurgence worries WHO
Global heath body says no room for complacency despite positive vaccine news
The World Health Organization voiced deep concerns on Nov 16 over the surge of new cases of COVID-19 in Europe and the Americas, and warned against complacency arising from good news on vaccine developments.
US biotech firm Moderna said on Nov 16 that its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5 percent effective based on preliminary data from a late-stage phase III trial.
It came a week after its competitor Pfizer likewise said its candidate vaccine is more than 90 percent effective.
WHO Director- General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there has been encouraging news about COVID-19 vaccines, but “this is not the time for complacency”.
“Right now we are extremely concerned by the surge in COVID-19 cases we’re seeing in some countries,” he told a virtual news conference from Geneva, referring to Europe and the Americas where he said health workers and health systems are being pushed to the breaking point.
The US had reported more than 11 million cases and 248,707 deaths as of Nov 18, the highest in the world, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University. Cases of COVID-19 had topped 55 million worldwide.
Recent reports from hospitals and nursing homes reveal that the PPE stockpile remains woefully low and the supply chain in the country underdeveloped.
Makers of N95 masks, which filter out at least 95 percent of very small particles, including viruses, and are regarded as the most effective tool for protection against airborne droplets, are struggling to keep up with demand from hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities, as well as businesses in other sectors that require them to protect
workers and the public, CBS News has reported.
3M Co, the largest domestic manufacturer of N95 masks, told CBS that “US and global demand for PPE continues to far exceed supply for the entire industry”.
Tedros said that countries which have invested in COVID-19 case finding, care and isolation, cluster investigations, adequate testing with rapid results, contact tracing, and supported quarantine are facing much less disruption.
“A laissez-faire attitude to the virus — not using the full range of tools available — leads to death, suffering and hurts livelihoods and economies,” he said.
The WHO chief noted that health workers on the front lines have been
stretched for months.
“They are exhausted. We must do all we can to protect them, especially during this period when the virus is spiking and patients are filling hospital beds.”
Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said many countries have controlled infections by using comprehensive measures.
“China is among those countries,” he said, while also adding the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand and Australia to the list.
He said their approaches are different and with different cultural settings.
“But what’s been common in their approach is the relentless focus on doing it all,” he said.
He added that those countries have mobilized community actions, testing, contact tracing, and quarantines to keep the virus at a very low level.
“We have been saying for months and months, (it’s) a comprehensive strategy aimed at controlling the virus, aimed at protecting the vulnerable, aimed at saving lives,” Ryan said.
Meanwhile, Moscow, which tallied 5,882 new cases on Nov 17, bringing the city’s total to 522,456, has ordered bars, restaurants and nightclubs to close between 11 pm and 6 am until mid-January. Officials warned of raids and fines for establishments that fail to comply.
Some restaurant owners complained the measures hurt their businesses while doing little to prevent
the virus from spreading.
“We are a bar after all, and most bars work at night,” said Svetlana Pivneva, manager of Parka Bar in central Moscow. “I do not fully understand the measures that are being taken, to be honest.”
The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, has said he hoped the city would not have to impose any additional restrictions, but that it could do so if things get worse.
Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Nov 13 that laboratories processing tests should work around the clock and that delays in providing results were unacceptable, Tass news agency reported.