New COVID wave a reminder pandemic is ‘far from over’: Guterres

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has that we are seeing 1.5 million new cases each day. Large outbreaks are spreading in Asia. A new wave is sweeping across Europe, he said, adding that some countries are reporting their highest death rates since the start of the pandemic. In a message "One World Protected - Break COVID Now" to the GAVI COVAX Advance Market Commitment Summit 2022, Guterres said that the gathering is a critical reminder that the "COVID-19 pandemic is far from over." Guterres said the next variant is not a question of "if" but of "when."

He said the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is a "startling reminder" of how quickly COVID-19 can mutate and spread - especially in the absence of high vaccination coverage. While some high-income countries are preparing for their second booster doses, one-third of humanity remains unvaccinated, he rued. "This is a brutal indictment of our deeply unequal world. It's also a prime breeding ground for new variants... more deaths... and increased human and economic misery," he said. "We are far from our target of every country reaching 70 per cent vaccination coverage by the middle of this year. And with new variants emerging every four months on average, time is of the essence," he said. He added that governments and pharmaceutical companies need to work together to deliver vaccines to every person, everywhere - not just in wealthy countries.