Soumya Swaminathan leaving in WHO shake-up

Anti-covid team member

Two of the World Health Organisation's most senior figures in the fight against Covid-19 are quitting next week, according to a letter from the WHO chief seen by AFP on Tuesday. Indian paediatrician and clinical scientist Soumya Swaminathan is leaving her post as the WHO'S chief scientist, while Mariangela Simao of Brazil is departing as the UN health agency's assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products. The pair were among the top WHO officials leading global efforts to coordinate the response to the pandemic since Covid-19 was first detected in China in late 2019. They have been part of the WHO'S public-facing team in the search for vaccines, tests and treatments to combat the pandemic. The departures were announced in a letter to colleagues written by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as part of a shake-up of his top team following his re-election for a second five-year term in May. — afp