{"id":49019,"date":"2023-01-05T14:48:27","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T12:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnuus\/threat-of-covid-19-still-persists-world-wide-20230105-3\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:04:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:04:23","slug":"threat-of-covid-19-still-persists-world-wide-20230105-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/threat-of-covid-19-still-persists-world-wide-20230105-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Threat of Covid-19 still persists world-wide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For most of last year, Covid-19 was on the decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But despite clear progress, the threat of Covid-19 persists and every week, approximately 10 000 people die of this disease world-wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe true toll is likely much higher,\u201d said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) in his 2023 opening remarks at a media briefing on 4 January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are still major inequities in access to testing, treatment, and vaccination and Covid-19 remains a dangerous virus to our health, economies, and societies overall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow into the fourth year of the pandemic, the world is in a much better place than it was several years ago, due to clinical care management, vaccines and treatments,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vaccination increased across the world, and there was sustained progress in many low and middle-income countries that had been left far behind in 2021 due to vaccine nationalism and manufacturing capacity being restricted to just a handful of countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New lifesaving antivirals were identified last year, which helped cut mortality further, and WHO is working to improve access to new antivirals. On Christmas Day it was announced that two such products were prequalified for production by an Indian manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are concerned about the current Covid-19 epidemiological picture, with both intense transmission in several parts of the world and a recombinant sub-variant spreading quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cIn recent weeks, there has been increasing reports of hospitalisation and health system pressure, particularly in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere where respiratory diseases including flu are also circulating.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the last week, WHO held a high-level meeting with counterparts in China to discuss the surge in cases and hospitalisations, and subsequently WHO\u2019s Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution and the COVID-19 clinical management expert network groups both met with Chinese experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe continue to ask China for more rapid, regular, reliable data on hospitalisations and deaths, as well as more comprehensive, real-time viral sequencing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWHO is concerned about the risk to life in China and has reiterated the importance of vaccination, including booster doses, to protect against hospitalisation, severe disease, and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith circulation in China so high and comprehensive data not forthcoming \u2013 it is understandable that some countries are taking steps they believe will protect their own citizens,\u201d WHO director-general said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>\n
Outside of China, one of the Omicron sub variants originally detected in October 2022 is XBB.1.5, a recombinant of two BA.2 sub-lineages. It is on the increase in the United States and Europe and has now been identified in more than 25 countries.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

WHO is following closely and assessing the risk of this subvariant and will report accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCovid-19 will no doubt still be a major topic of discussion, but I believe and hope that with the right efforts this will be the year the public health emergency officially ends,\u201d Ghebreyesus concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 also marks the 75th anniversary of WHO\u2019s creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"

<\/p>\n

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus<\/div>\n
<\/span>Photo: Supplied<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite clear progress, the threat of Covid-19 persists and every week, approximately 10 000 people die of this disease 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