Thread by @WHO

Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

@DrTedros "The number of weekly reported deaths from #COVID19 continues to decline, and is now at the lowest level in almost a year. But it’s still an unacceptably high level – almost 50,000 deaths a week, and the real number is certainly higher"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Deaths are declining in every region except @WHO_Europe, where several countries are facing fresh waves of cases and deaths. And of course, deaths are highest in the countries and populations with the least access to #COVID19 vaccines"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @WHO_Europe "56 countries who were effectively excluded from the global vaccine marketplace were not able to reach the target of vaccinating 10% of their populations by the end of September. Even more countries are at risk of missing the 40% target by the end of 2021"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @WHO_Europe "3️⃣ countries have not started vaccinating yet: Burundi, Eritrea & DPR Korea.
About 1/2 of the remaining countries are constrained by supply. They have a vaccination programme underway, but don’t have enough supply to accelerate enough to reach the target"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @WHO_Europe "We ask once again for the countries and companies that control the global supply of #COVID19 vaccines to prioritize supply to COVAX and to AVAT now"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @WHO_Europe "Another group of countries is constrained by capacity, esp. countries affected by fragility, conflict or violence. WHO and our partners are working with those countries to strengthen on-the-ground technical and logistical capacities to roll out vaccines"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @WHO_Europe "Reaching 40% needs a whole of government and whole of society approach, which depends on political and civil society leadership. We are working with leaders to support the prioritization and planning that is needed to make 40% coverage a reality"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @WHO_Europe "With aggressive and ambitious action, most of these countries can still reach the 40% target by the end of this year, or be on a clear pathway to reaching it"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"But it takes global cooperation. Countries that continue to roll out boosters now are effectively preventing other countries from vaccinating their most at-risk populations. Supply is finite. In the end, this is a zero-sum game"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"Following a public call for experts, WHO today announced the proposed members of the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1448266575346343941?s=20

"The 26 experts were selected from over 700 applications, and were chosen for their world-class expertise and experience in a range of disciplines, as well as their geographic and gender diversity"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1448266577686810633?s=20

"SAGO will advise WHO on the development of a global framework to define and guide studies into the origins of emerging and re-emerging pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential, including SARS-CoV-2"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1448266581746855939?s=20

"There will now be a two-week public consultation period for WHO to receive feedback on the proposed SAGO members, following which the composition of SAGO will be confirmed and the group will have its first meeting"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1448266579590926339?s=20

"The emergence of new viruses with the potential to spark epidemics and pandemics is a fact of nature, and while SARS-CoV-2 is the latest such virus, it will not be the last. We thank all those who expressed interest in SAGO"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/ScienceMagazine/status/1448257279036477444?s=20

"After 11 months of conflict, the humanitarian crisis in northern #Ethiopia is growing worse by the day. Up to 7 million people are in urgent need of food and other aid across #Tigray, Amhara and Afar"-@DrTedros

"#Tigray, with an estimated population of 6 million, has now been under a de-facto blockade for almost a year. Humanitarian aid is not arriving at anywhere close to the levels needed, & basic services remain cut off, including electricity, banking & telecommunications"-@DrTedros

"The spread of the conflict into Amhara & Afar is further increasing needs & complicating response efforts. In #Tigray, more than 90% of the population needs food aid, & an estimated 400,000 people are living in famine-like conditions, based on the latest @UN analysis"-@DrTedros

"Fuel shortages, a continuing communications black-out and other challenges make it difficult to assess the exact extent of the need. But we are seeing acute malnutrition rates, at levels comparable to those we saw at the onset of the 2011 Somalia famine"-@DrTedros #Tigray

@DrTedros "The de-facto blockade of #Tigray is preventing us from getting aid to people in desperate need"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1448279018445365256?s=20

@DrTedros "Since the end of June, we have only had access to #Tigray via one road through the neighbouring Afar region, where movements are being severely restricted by official and unofficial checkpoints and roadblocks, insecurity and other obstacles"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "The @UN estimates that we need to bring in roughly 100 trucks of aid a day to meet basic needs. But since July, the UN has only been able to move 10% of this into #Tigray"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @UN "The conflict has devastated #Tigray’s healthcare system and no supplies of medicine have been allowed into the region since July"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @UN "Just a fraction of health facilities in #Tigray remain operational due to a lack of fuel and supplies. People with chronic illnesses are dying due to lack of both food and medicine"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @UN "Nearly 200,000 children have gone without critical vaccinations. When people do not have enough food, they are more susceptible to deadly diseases, as well as the threat of starvation"-@DrTedros #Tigray

@DrTedros @UN "WHO will continue to do everything we can to provide essential life-saving support to all those affected by this crisis. WHO and our partners ask for unfettered access to the affected regions. The lives of millions of people are at stake"-@DrTedros #Tigray

@DrTedros @UN The full remarks by @DrTedros at the #COVID19 briefing - 13 October 2021 ⬇️ bit.ly/3lBPuQH