Thread by @WHO

Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros pscp.tv/w/dAdtYXR3LTE0…

@DrTedros "Today, the #DRC declared an outbreak of #meningitis in the north-eastern Tshopo Province, with 261 suspected cases and 129 deaths reported. Health authorities have deployed an initial emergency team, and WHO is supporting the response"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHOAFRO/status/1435541327253540867

@DrTedros "More than 100 patients are already receiving treatment at home & in 🇨🇩 health centres. WHO has provided medical supplies & plans to deploy more experts & resources. #Meningitis is a deadly & debilitating disease, with serious health, economic & social consequences"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "This month, WHO & partners will launch the Defeating #Meningitis Roadmap, the first 🌍 initiative to address this devastating disease. The roadmap has 3 objectives:
-Ending epidemics of bacterial meningitis
-Reducing cases by 50% & deaths by 70%
-Supporting survivors"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "This [#meningitis] outbreak in #DRC is another reminder that although the #COVID19 pandemic continues to dominate headlines, it is far from the only health threat to which WHO is responding around the world"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Over 50,000 people have died with #COVID19 every week since October last year, & for the past month, deaths have remained at almost 70,000 a week.
We have the solutions to stop transmission & save lives. But those solutions are not being used well nor shared well"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "The inequitable distribution of life-saving tools including diagnostics, oxygen, personal protective equipment and vaccines is driving a two-track #COVID19 pandemic"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Some countries with the highest vaccine coverage are now seeing a decoupling of #COVID19 cases and deaths, which is allowing them to reopen their societies without their health systems being overwhelmed"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435612452952190985?s=20

@DrTedros "While #COVID19 cases in some of these countries are increasing among unvaccinated people, hospitalizations and deaths have remained relatively low, thanks to vaccines and earlier clinical care"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "However, premature relaxing of public health and social measures is putting unvaccinated and immunocompromised people at extreme risk"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435612665725034496?s=20

@DrTedros "Meanwhile, countries with low vaccine coverage continue to see high case fatality rates"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435612719454040066?s=20

@DrTedros "Additionally, some countries are refusing entry to people who have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine that has WHO Emergency Use Listing, but which has not been approved by their own national regulators"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "This is creating more chaos, confusion and discrimination, with some countries even refusing to use certain vaccines because of concern their citizens will be denied entry to other countries"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435612934349238275?s=20

@DrTedros "WHO Emergency Use Listing follows a rigorous process based on internationally recognized standards. All vaccines that have received WHO Emergency Use Listing are safe and effective in preventing severe #COVID19 disease and death, including against the Delta variant"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "We thank those countries that recognize all vaccines with WHO Emergency Use Listing, and we call on all countries to do the same"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435613091987927042?s=20

@DrTedros "Globally, 5.5 billion #COVID19 vaccine doses have now been administered, but 80% have been administered in high- and upper-middle income countries"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "WHO’s global targets remain to support every country to vaccinate at least 10% of its population by the end of this month, at least 40% by the end of this year and 70% of the 🌍’s population by the middle of next year"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "Almost 90% of high-income countries have now reached the 10% target, and more than 70% have reached the 40%. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "That’s not their fault. We’ve heard excuses from manufacturers and some high-income countries about how low-income countries can’t absorb vaccines"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435613797104955408?s=20

@DrTedros "Almost every low-income country is already rolling out the vaccines they have, and they have extensive experience in large-scale vaccination campaigns for polio, measles, meningitis, yellow fever and more"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435613947990839296?s=20

@DrTedros "But because manufacturers have prioritised or been legally obliged to fulfil bilateral deals with rich countries willing to pay top dollar, low-income countries have been deprived of the tools to protect their people"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435614029301571591?s=20

@DrTedros "There's been a lot of talk about #VaccinEquity, but too little action. High-income countries have promised to donate over 1 billion doses, but less than 15% of those doses have materialised. Manufacturers have promised to prioritize #COVAX & low-income countries"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬"-@DrTedros

#VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435614468260630541?s=20

@DrTedros "A month ago, I called for a global moratorium on #COVID19 booster doses at least until the end of September, to prioritise vaccinating the most at-risk people around the world who are yet to receive their first dose"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1423023291426648075?s=20

@DrTedros "𝐈'𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 to enable every country to vaccinate at least 40% of its population"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435614828404649987?s=20

@DrTedros "3rd doses may be necessary for the most at-risk populations, where there's evidence of waning immunity against severe #COVID19 & death – such as immunocompromised people who didn't respond sufficiently to their initial doses, or are no longer producing antibodies"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "But for now, we do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435615980911214598?s=20

@DrTedros "Yesterday, the @IFPMA said that @G7 countries now have enough #COVID19 vaccines for all their adults & teenagers, & to offer booster doses to at-risk groups, & that manufacturing scale-up should now shift to delivering global #VaccinEquity, including dose sharing"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @IFPMA @G7 "When I read this, I was appalled. In reality, manufacturers & high-income countries have long had the capacity to not only vaccinate their own priority groups, but to simultaneously support the vaccination of those same groups in all countries"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435616378560647170?s=20

@DrTedros @IFPMA @G7 "𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 #𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435616528582553602?s=20

@DrTedros @IFPMA @G7 "Low- & lower-middle income countries are not the second or third priority. Their #healthworkers, older people and other at-risk groups have the same right to be protected"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @IFPMA @G7 "I will not stay silent when the companies and countries that control the global supply of vaccines think the world’s poor should be satisfied with leftovers"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1435617063121399816?s=20

@DrTedros @IFPMA @G7 "Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to attend the @g20org Health Ministers’ Meeting in Rome.
I said that as the 🌍’s largest producers, consumers and donors of #COVID19 vaccines, the world’s 20 leading economies hold the key to #VaccinEquity & ending the pandemic"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @IFPMA @G7 @g20org "I called on @g20org to support the achievement of WHO’s global vaccination targets, by:
-Swapping near-term vaccine deliveries with #COVAX
-Fulfilling dose-sharing pledges by the end of this month at the latest
-Facilitating the sharing of technology, know-how & IP"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @IFPMA @G7 @g20org "We have the tools. It’s clear what needs to happen.

Now is the time for true leadership, not empty promises"-@DrTedros

#COVID19 #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @IFPMA @G7 @g20org The full remarks by @DrTedros at the media briefing on #COVID19 - 8 September 2021 ⬇️ bit.ly/3k00UNr