Thread by @WHO

LIVE with @DrTedros from the @WorldHealthSmt opening. #WHS2020

https://twitter.com/WorldHealthSmt/status/1320408460559790080

Watch LIVE NOW @DrTedros' remarks at the @WorldHealthSmt opening. #WHS2020

vimeo.com/465415971/6506…

"When I had the honour of addressing the #WHS2019 a year ago, I spoke about the deficit in political will to act on global health & preparedness.
Understandably, both seemed like abstract concepts at the time, involving far away events that happened to far away people"-@DrTedros

"Well my friends, global health is no longer an abstraction.

From Berlin to Bogota, Minneapolis to Mumbai, Seoul to St Petersburg, we are facing the same threat, confronting the same difficult new reality"-@DrTedros #WHS2020 #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1320424097340424193?s=20

"Of course, the #COVID19 pandemic is playing out differently in every country & in every community. But there are some constants:
-health systems matter
-preparedness matters
-doctors, nurses, and #healthworkers must have the training & equipment they need"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"These have been fundamental to how countries and communities are weathering the #COVID19 pandemic.

The lesson is clear: A strong health system is a resilient health system"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1320424477096816640?s=20

"Health systems and preparedness are not only an investment in the future, they are the foundation of our #COVID19 response today"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"Public health is more than medicine and science, and it is bigger than any individual.

Ultimately, it is a matter of leadership and a question of political choice"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"#COVID19 is shining a light on the decisions we and our policy-makers have made not only today, but also in the past.
Many of the world's wealthiest countries, with some of the most advanced health systems, have been upended by this virus"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"This virus thrives in the inequalities in our societies and the gaps in our health systems.

The #COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the neglect of basic health system functions underpinning emergency preparedness, to disastrous consequence"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"#COVID19 has put the spotlight on critical gaps in areas such as surveillance, diagnostics, essential medicines, protective equipment, supply chains, infection prevention and control, water, sanitation and hygiene, and the health workforce"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"The absence of any one of these leaves communities vulnerable and undermines the timely response necessary to contain the #COVID19 pandemic, or any health crisis"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1320425898248724481?s=20

"But the #COVID19 pandemic has also given us cause for hope. Because we have seen again and again that when countries and communities take the right actions, it is never too late to bring the outbreak under control"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"We know that fundamental public health measures work:
-find, test, isolate, care for every case, and trace and quarantine every contact
-physical distancing, masks, handwashing, and meeting family and friends outside

We have to do it all"-@DrTedros #WHS2020 #COVID19

"Across the globe we continue to see a resurgence of #COVID19 cases when countries reopen their societies and economies too quickly"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"This is a dangerous moment for many countries in the northern hemisphere as #COVID19 cases spike, but again and again, we have seen that taking the right actions quickly means the outbreak can be managed"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1320426780935802881?s=20

"In the face of this unprecedented threat, leaders must strike a delicate balance between protecting their people & maintaining essential health services, while minimizing social & economic damage, & respecting human rights"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"It's not enough to be reactive. We must plan & take action for the #COVID19 pandemic over the long-haul.
We have to move from ad-hoc solutions to long-term planning, to protect lives & livelihoods"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"We still have a long haul ahead of us. We cannot slow down & we cannot waver.
It's more important than ever that we focus on the elderly & other vulnerable populations who already struggle to access health services, incl. migrants & other marginalized groups"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"Last year, and since then, I have spoken many times about the importance of national unity and international cooperation, of multilateralism and solidarity"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"The #COVID19 pandemic has made these concepts concrete. They are literally matters of life and death.
It is natural that countries want to protect their own citizens first"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1320427860839047175?s=20

"But if and when we have an effective #COVID19 vaccine, we must also use it effectively. And the best way to do that is to vaccinate some people in all countries, rather than all people in some countries"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1320427978501824512?s=20

"Let me be clear: vaccine nationalism will prolong the #COVID19 pandemic, not shorten it. The only way to recover faster, be it lives or livelihoods, is to recover together"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

"I also have the pleasure of announcing that together with the Global Governance Project, we are releasing a new publication entitled 'Health: A Political Choice: Act Now, Together'”-@DrTedros #WHS2020

bit.ly/2TqNtba

"It includes national cases studies on the response to #COVID19, insights from leaders, and addresses the economic, social and ecological determinants underlying the pandemic"-@DrTedros #WHS2020 bit.ly/2TqNtba

"How we emerge from the #COVID19 pandemic, and whether we are ready to take on the challenges of the future, depends on our actions today.

Working together in solidarity, we can save lives, stabilize health systems, and drive a global recovery"-@DrTedros #WHS2020

ICYMI, watch here the full remarks by @DrTedros at the @WorldHealthSmt opening 👇 #WHS2020