A shocking imbalance remains in the global distribution of #COVID19 vaccines. Over 3.5 billion vaccines have been distributed globally, but more than 75% of those have gone to just ten countries. The haves are opening up, while the have-nots are locking down. #VaccinEquity
To deliver #VaccinEquity, my sister @NOIweala & I are committed to intensified capacity building & providing robust joint technical assistance to countries on #COVID19 health, intellectual property & trade-related matters.
Our global targets are to vaccinate at least:
10% of the population of every country by September
40% by the end of 2021
70% by mid-2022
To reach these targets & end the #COVID19 pandemic, we need 11 billion doses of vaccine.
We urgently need to scale up #COVID19 vaccines production. This can be done by removing the barriers to scaling up manufacturing. This pandemic is an unprecedented crisis that demands unprecedented action. With so many lives on the line, profits & patents must come second.
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Today it was my turn to get vaccinated @Hopitaux_unige against #COVID19. Vaccines save lives. It’s critical to get them to all counties A.S.A.P. If like me you live in a country where vaccines are available, please get vaccinated when it’s your turn.
To make vaccines available to all who need them, governments, manufacturers and other stakeholders must commit to share and produce more doses of #COVID19 vaccines to protect everyone. #VaccinEquity
Today is #InternationalNursesDay. Nurses have been at the core of the #COVID19 response providing life-saving care and, in so many heartbreaking cases, they are there in the last moments of a person’s life. To nurses everywhere, thank you for your tireless commitment!
In this Year of the Health and Care Worker, the #COVID19 pandemic has reminded all of us how much we all depend on nurses, from our first day to our last, and why all countries must invest in nurses now and for the future. #InternationalNursesDay#SupportHealthCareWorkers
Nurses provide essential care in so many areas of our health systems, but we also need their skills and experience in leadership positions, including in senior roles for developing health policies and designing integrated patient-centred health services. #InternationalNursesDay
The spread of variants, increased social mixing, the relaxation of public health and social measures and inequitable vaccination are all driving #COVID19 transmission. Therefore, we need to use every tool at our disposal to drive transmission down, right now.
Even in countries with a downward trend in cases and with the highest #COVID19 vaccination rates, public health capacities must be strengthened to prepare for the possibility of vaccine-evading variants, and for future emergencies.
My message to individuals is - every contact you have with someone outside your household is a risk. The level of risk from #COVID19 varies according to the type of contact, the duration of contact & the level of transmission where you live.
Was a privilege to address the High-level Emergency Meeting of African Health Ministers on #COVID19. @WHO will keep partnering with @_AfricanUnion nations to strengthen public health services & build capacity to generate vaccine supply to end the pandemic bit.ly/3twzTlW
The shocking disparity in global distribution of #COVID19 vaccines is a moral outrage, & economically & epidemiologically self-defeating. Of vaccines administered globally, just 2% have occurred in Africa compared to 80% in high & upper middle-income countries.
The pandemic has shown that #Africa cannot rely on #vaccine imports & must boost its own production capacities. @WHO will continue supporting the @_AfricanUnion to establish the African Medicines Agency to strengthen regulatory capacity and stimulate local production.
I welcome the report on the #COVID19 origins, which advances our understanding of this virus in important ways. The report also raises questions that will need to be addressed by further studies. bit.ly/3dePL6C
I thank the international & Chinese experts & welcome their recommendations for further studies to understand the earliest human cases & clusters of #COVID19, trace animals sold at markets in/around Wuhan, #China, & better understand potential animal hosts & intermediaries.
To understand the earliest human #COVID19 cases, scientists would benefit from full access to data including biological samples from at least September 2019.
As we fight the #COVID19 pandemic, we can build back better to protect future generations. We believe that nations should work together towards a global #PandemicTreaty for preparedness and response. bit.ly/3u6XIl2
A #PandemicTreaty goal would be to foster an all-of-government & all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional & global capacities & resilience to future pandemics, including alert systems, data sharing, R&D, production & equitable distribution of medical products.
A #PandemicTreaty would be rooted in the constitution of the @WHO, drawing in all relevant organizations and stakeholders key to pandemic preparedness and response, in support of the principle of #HealthForAll. bit.ly/3u6XIl2