Thread by @WHO

LIVE with @DrTedros at the International Conference on Public Health in Africa #CPHIA2021 twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

"Congratulations to the @AfricaCDC, the @_AfricanUnion & the organizing committee for developing such a rich programme, & for bringing together leading scientists, innovators, policymakers, researchers & public health experts from across our continent and across the 🌍"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros "This conference is extremely timely. The #COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of nurturing strong science and research on our continent, and strong public health institutions"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros "I commend the @_AfricanUnion for its bold leadership during the pandemic, through the continental #COVID19 strategy developed under the leadership of President @CyrilRamaphosa – the only unified regional strategy of its kind"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa "I also commend my brother @JNkengasong and your colleagues at the @AfricaCDC for your leadership throughout the #COVID19 pandemic. And let me assure you that WHO remains committed to supporting you to continue building institutional capacity on the continent"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "Last week marked one year since the first #COVID19 vaccines were administered. A year ago, we all hoped that by now vaccines would be helping us all emerge from the long, dark tunnel of the pandemic"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "Instead, as we enter the third year of the #COVID19 pandemic, the death toll has more than tripled, and the world remains in its grip"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1471504876991438856?s=20

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "#COVID19 has now killed more than 5 million people. And they’re just the reported deaths. Although the number of reported deaths in Africa is lower than in most other regions, we know that they are underreported"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "And the excess deaths caused by the #COVID19 virus, and by disruption to essential health services, are far higher"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1471505094197665806?s=20

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "Health systems continue to be overwhelmed. Millions have missed out on essential life-saving health services for noncommunicable diseases and mental health. Progress against HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and many other diseases has stalled or gone backwards"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "Millions of children have missed out on vaccinations for other life-threatening diseases, and months of education.

Millions of people have lost their jobs, or been plunged into poverty"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "The global economy is still clawing its way out of recession.

Political divisions have deepened, nationally and globally.

Science has been undermined. Misinformation abounds.

And inequalities have widened"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "The development of not one but several safe and effective #COVID19 vaccines in record time is a triumph of science. But the inequitable distribution of vaccines has been a failure for humanity"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "12 months since the first #COVID19 vaccines were administered, more than 8.5 billion doses have now been administered globally – the largest vaccination campaign in history. But while 44% of the world’s population is fully vaccinated, in Africa this is still only 8%"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "We’re pleased that #COVAX and AVAT are now picking up speed as supply increases. In the past 10 weeks, COVAX has shipped more vaccines than in the first 9 months of the year combined"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "But we are still a long way from reaching our targets to vaccinate 40% of the population of all countries by the end of this year, and 70% by the middle of next year"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "48 @_AfricanUnion Member States have still not reached the 40% target, mainly because they cannot access the vaccines they need"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1471505960531230724?s=20

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "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

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "We have often said that as long as vaccine inequity persists, the more opportunity the virus has to spread and mutate in ways no one can prevent or predict. And so, we have Omicron"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "I thank 🇿🇦 & 🇧🇼 for rapidly detecting, sequencing & reporting Omicron. It's deeply disappointing that instead of being thanked for detecting, sequencing & reporting this new variant, these countries have been penalized with ineffective & discriminatory travel bans"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "But this situation demonstrates why the 🌍 needs a new, coordinated system for responding to pandemics: our current system disincentivizes countries from alerting others to threats that will inevitably land on their shores"-@DrTedros #PandemicAccord

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "Earlier this month WHO’s 194 Member States decided to negotiate a convention, agreement or other intl. instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. We urge all African Member States to engage actively in the process of negotiating this #PandemicAccord"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "The increased participation of Africa in multilateral discussions regionally and globally is essential for shaping global health security, and African health security"-@DrTedros #PandemicAccord

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "The persistent inequity in access to vaccines, and the emergence of the Omicron variant, also shows why investing in local production must be a priority"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "At the same time, there has been progress. As you know, the @_AfricanUnion and the @AfricaCDC have established the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "Several African countries – including Egypt, Morocco, Rwanda and Senegal – have all signed agreements or Memorandums of Understanding for #COVID19 vaccine manufacturing in their countries, and Algeria has begun production"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "A month ago the Africa Medicines Agency treaty entered into force, paving the way to improve the quality, safety, efficacy, availability & affordability of medicines & 💉 across the continent. WHO is committed to supporting the AMA with technical & financial support"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "WHO & partners have established an mRNA technology transfer hub in 🇿🇦 to boost vaccine production on the continent. Investing in local production in Africa is essential for strengthening regional health security, but also for the journey towards #HealthForAll"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "More than any other crisis, #COVID19 has reminded us that health is the most precious commodity on earth & that resilient health systems are essential not only for protecting the health of individuals & communities, but for protecting jobs, economies & social cohesion"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "Ultimately, the #COVID19 pandemic will end, but we will still be left with many of the same challenges we had before: poverty, climate change, racism, inequality and many of the other shared threats we face"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "I urge African countries to:
-Engage actively in negotiating the #PandemicAccord on preparedness & response
-Invest in science & its fruits: R&D, local production & regulatory capacity
-Invest in #primaryhealthcare as the foundation of #HealthForAll & health security"-@DrTedros

@AfricaCDC @_AfricanUnion @DrTedros @CyrilRamaphosa @JNkengasong "In the end, the #COVID19 pandemic teaches us that health is not a luxury, but a human right; not a cost, but an investment; not simply an outcome of development, but the foundation of social, economic and political stability and security"-@DrTedros