Thread by @WHO

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

@DrTedros "77 countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet. Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros "We’re concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild. Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "I need to be very clear: vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis.

Countries can – and must – prevent the spread of Omicron with measures that work today"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1470792075629236227?s=20

@DrTedros "It’s not vaccines instead of masks.

It’s not vaccines instead of distancing.

It’s not vaccines instead of ventilation or hand hygiene.

Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1470792182550437898?s=20

@DrTedros "Vaccines are tools that have the greatest impact when they are used to protect those who are most at risk, in all countries. In the past 10 weeks, #COVAX has shipped more #COVID19 vaccines than in the first 9 months of the year combined"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "Most countries are using #COVID19 vaccines as fast as they get them. A small group of countries are facing challenges rolling out vaccines and scaling up rapidly, and WHO and our partners are working closely with those countries to overcome bottlenecks"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "Although we expect further improvements in supply, there are no guarantees, and the hard-won gains we have made are fragile. We continue to call on donors and manufacturers to put #COVAX and AVAT first"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "At the same time, evolving evidence suggests a small decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against severe #COVID19 disease and death, and a decline in preventing mild disease or infection"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "The emergence of Omicron has prompted some countries to roll out #COVID19 booster programmes for their entire adult populations, even while we lack evidence for the effectiveness of boosters against this variant"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "WHO is concerned that such programmes will repeat the #COVID19 vaccine hoarding we saw this year, & exacerbate inequity. It’s clear that as we move forward, boosters could play an important role, esp. for those at highest risk of severe disease death"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲.

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1470792993187708930?s=20

@DrTedros "It’s a question of prioritization. The order matters. Giving boosters to groups at low risk of severe disease or death simply endangers the lives of those at high risk who are still waiting for their primary doses because of supply constraints"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "On the other hand, giving additional doses to people at high risk can save more lives than giving primary doses to those at low risk. Together, we will save the most lives by making sure 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️, older people & other at-risk groups receive their primary doses of vaccines"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "There remains a vast gap in rates of #COVID19 vaccination between countries:
-41 countries still haven't been able to vaccinate 10% of their populations
-98 countries have not reached 40%
We also see significant inequities between population groups in the same country"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 #𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃𝟏𝟗 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜. 𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity