Thread by @WHO

Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros pscp.tv/w/c7RO9zI2MTAy…

"The world is at a perilous point in this pandemic.

We have just passed the tragic milestone of 4 million recorded #COVID19 deaths, which likely underestimates the overall toll"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Some countries with high vaccination coverage are now planning to rollout booster shots in the coming months and are dropping public health social measures and relaxing as though the #COVID19 pandemic is already over"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "However, compounded by fast moving variants and shocking inequity in vaccination, far too many countries in every region of the world are seeing sharp spikes in #COVID19 cases and hospitalisation"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "This is leading to an acute shortage of oxygen, treatments and driving a wave of death in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412763273619988481?s=20

@DrTedros "Vaccine nationalism, where a handful of nations have taken the lion’s share, is morally indefensible & an ineffective public health strategy against a respiratory virus that is mutating quickly & becoming increasingly effective at moving from human-to-human"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros "At this stage in the #COVID19 pandemic, the fact that millions of health and care workers have still not been vaccinated is abhorrent"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Variants are currently winning the race against vaccines because of inequitable vaccine production & distribution, which also threatens the global economic recovery. It didn’t have to be this way & it doesn’t have to be this way going forward"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "From a moral, epidemiological or economic point view, now is the time for the world to come together to tackle this pandemic collectively"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412763816035864581?s=20

@DrTedros "This week @G20 Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors will meet. This is another opportunity for leaders to take urgent steps to end the acute stage of this pandemic, providing the necessary 💰 to scale up the equitable manufacturing & distribution of health tools"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @G20 "I've called for 10% of people in all countries to be vaccinated by September & for that figure to rise to 40% by the end of 2021. It would position the 🌍 on the path to vaccinating 70% of people in all countries by the mid-2022"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412764255401676804?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 "I call on the @G20 Finance Ministers and other leaders to get behind these targets because it is the fastest way to end the acute stage of the pandemic, save lives and livelihoods and drive a truly global economic recovery"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412764628690604034?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 "We’re making scientific breakthroughs in global trials, but the impact is limited if we don’t share them equitably. It’s not charity, it’s the best way to end the acute stage of this pandemic, slow virus variants down and drive a global economic recovery"-@DrTedros #ACTogether

@DrTedros @G20 "Yesterday, we recommended the use of IL-6 receptor blockers, a type of monoclonal antibody, in patients with severe or critical #COVID19. This treatment, along with corticosteroids, is recommended for patients with severe or critical disease"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412495687707680771?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 "This followed a comprehensive new analysis of 27 randomised trials involving nearly 11,000 patients, which found that treating hospitalised #COVID19 patients with IL-6 receptor blockers reduces the risk of death and the need for mechanical ventilation"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @G20 "The study was coordinated by WHO, and is an outstanding example of collaboration amongst trialists and methodologists that allowed us to transparently bring high quality evidence from around the world together, analyse it and develop timely recommendations"-@DrTedros #ACTogether

@DrTedros @G20 "The trial demonstrated that for the critically ill, the use of IL-6 receptor blockers led to approximately 28 fewer deaths for every 1,000 patients"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412765940375302147?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 "The medicines also meant the chance of severe and critically ill patients being put on a ventilator was reduced by 28%, compared with standard care"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412765809835905031?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 "So together with corticosteroids, these drugs help to decouple cases from deaths by saving further lives and preventing people with #COVID19 from progressing to even more severe illness"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412765809835905031?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 "I also want to put on record my thanks for the global collaboration between international researchers and the patients who agreed to be part of the trials"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412765809835905031?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 "This breakthrough will only be effective if we can scale up manufacturing & distribute equitably. At present, IL-6 receptor blockers remain inaccessible & unaffordable for the majority of the 🌍 but it’s within the power of govts & manufacturers to change that"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @G20 "Going forward, it is key that the therapeutic arm of the @ACTAccelerator is fully funded so further research and development can uncover more lifesaving medicines for the prevention and treatment of #COVID19"-@DrTedros #ACTogether

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412767170002669577?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 @ACTAccelerator "The #COVID19 pandemic has led to many more children experiencing domestic violence and psychosocial distress, which has been compounded by disruptions to their education, support networks and care services"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @G20 @ACTAccelerator "We know that violence affected far too many children before the #COVID19 pandemic. It is widespread and often hidden from public view in homes, schools, communities and online"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412768041163702274?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 @ACTAccelerator "Children who are exposed to violence and trauma are significantly more likely to develop #mentalhealth conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic-stress, and behavioral and substance use disorders. They are also more likely to die by suicide"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @G20 @ACTAccelerator "Urgent action is required to address the #mentalhealth impacts of violence and trauma experienced during childhood and which has been amplified during this pandemic"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1412768388645068808?s=20

@DrTedros @G20 @ACTAccelerator "Tomorrow, I will join Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, along with @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres , @unicefchief Henrietta Fore and other leaders to discuss the impact of violence on the mental health of children"-@DrTedros

"As well as looking to accelerate the end of the #COVID19 pandemic, giving children the support they need must be a top priority as we come out of it. We must help them come to terms with what they have experienced and have a chance at a more hopeful future"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros The full remarks by @DrTedros at the #COVID19 media briefing - 7 July 2021 👇 bit.ly/3wmKLEB