Thread by @WHO

LIVE: Media briefing on #COVID19 and other global health issues with @DrTedros. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

"I am concerned that cases of #COVID19 continue to rise - putting further pressure on stretched health systems and health workers - and deaths are unacceptably high"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "The Emergency Committee on #COVID19 met on Friday last week and concluded that the virus remains a Public Health emergency of International Concern"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1546855797694529538?s=20&t=tXcGU5kI4faU0ZIpNeXMkQ

@DrTedros "The Committee noted their concern about several interlinked challenges.
1️⃣ sub-variants of Omicron, like BA.4 and BA.5, continue to drive waves of cases, hospitalisation and death around the world"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1546856032705646596?s=20&t=tXcGU5kI4faU0ZIpNeXMkQ

@DrTedros "2️⃣ surveillance has reduced significantly – including testing and sequencing – making it increasingly difficult to assess the impact of variants on transmission, disease characteristics, and the effectiveness of counter-measures"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1546856177392287744?s=20&t=tXcGU5kI4faU0ZIpNeXMkQ

@DrTedros "3️⃣ diagnostics, treatments and vaccines are not being deployed effectively"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1546856258623492097?s=20&t=tXcGU5kI4faU0ZIpNeXMkQ

@DrTedros "The virus is running freely and countries are not effectively managing the disease burden based on their capacity, in terms of both hospitalisation for acute cases and the expanding number of people with post #COVID19 condition - often referred to as long-COVID"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "There's a major disconnect in #COVID19 risk perception between scientific communities, political leaders & the general public. This is a dual challenge of communicating risk & building community trust in health tools & public health social measures 😷, ↔️ & 🪟"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "The Committee made a series of recommendations with several that I want to focus on. New waves of the virus demonstrate again that the #COVID19 is nowhere near over"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1546846313169428488?s=20&t=I4vij9bTpdmosDat2io4gw

@DrTedros "As the #COVID19 virus pushes at us, we must push back. We’re in a much better position than at the beginning of the pandemic. We have safe and effective tools that prevent infections, hospitalizations and deaths"-@DrTedros #ACTogether

@DrTedros "As @g20org finance ministers meet next week, it is critical that governments around the world finance WHO and the @ACTAccelerator to ensure the equitable distribution of health tools"-@DrTedros #ACTogether

@DrTedros @g20org @ACTAccelerator "As #COVID19 transmission and hospitalisations rise, governments must also deploy tried and tested measures like masking, improved ventilation and test and treat protocols"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @g20org @ACTAccelerator "I urge governments to regularly review and adjust their #COVID19 response plans based on the current epidemiology and also the potential for new variants to appear"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @g20org @ACTAccelerator "Governments should also work to reverse the reduction in surveillance, testing and sequencing, and share anti-virals effectively"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @g20org @ACTAccelerator "Vaccines have saved millions of lives and it’s important for governments to focus on boosting those most at-risk communities, finding the unvaccinated so as to build up the wall of immunity toward the 70% vaccination target"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @g20org @ACTAccelerator "Planning & tackling #COVID19 should also go hand-in-hand with vaccinating for killer diseases like measles, pneumonia & diarrhea. It’s not a question of either/or, it’s possible to do both. And new vaccines, including HPV and malaria, should continue to be introduced"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @g20org @ACTAccelerator "Today, WHO released the first-ever report on vaccines in development to prevent infections caused by antimicrobial resistant bacterial pathogens"-@DrTedros bit.ly/3uH3Xic

@DrTedros @g20org @ACTAccelerator "The report examines some of the challenges facing vaccine development and proposes disruptive approaches to nurture innovation in a space that has been severely neglected"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1546858194022146050?s=20&t=tXcGU5kI4faU0ZIpNeXMkQ

"I am glad to be joined today by WHO’s Science Council, which I set up just over a year ago to provide advice on advances in science and technology that impact global health"-@DrTedros

"Led by Dr. Harold Varmus, the group just had their first in-person meeting and has been focused on genomics given its implications for public health and the challenges of scaling it up in low- and middle-income countries"-@DrTedros

"During #COVID19, genomics has been essential to detecting the virus initially and new variants subsequently, and also integral to the development of tests, treatments and vaccines"-@DrTedros

"As laid out in WHO’s new ten-year global genomic surveillance strategy, genomic surveillance covers disease detection, strengthening lab systems, developing tests, data sharing and analysis so that together new health tools can be developed and deployed"-@DrTedros

"Further, genomics has massive potential beyond pathogen surveillance, for human health. It is timely for countries to invest in infrastructure and human resources in this area"-@DrTedros bit.ly/3Iv1f5b

"On #Monkeypox, there are now 9,200 cases in 63 countries. The Emergency Committee for monkeypox will reconvene next week & look at trends, how effective the counter-measures are & make recommendations for what countries & communities should do to tackle the outbreak"-@DrTedros

"In the meantime, the multi-pronged approach continues:
1️⃣ WHO is working closely with civil society and LGBTIQ+ community, especially to tackle the stigma around the virus and spread information so people can stay safe"-@DrTedros #monkeypox

"2️⃣ WHO continues to work with countries and vaccine manufacturers to coordinate the sharing of vaccines, which are currently scarce"-@DrTedros #monkeypox

"3️⃣ WHO continues to work with countries and experts to drive forward research and development"-@DrTedros #monkeypox

"I again stress that we must work to stop onward #monkeypox transmission and advise governments to implement contact tracing to help track and stem the virus as well as to assist people in isolation"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "In #Ghana there are currently 2 suspected cases of #Marburg. 🇬🇭 is currently dispatching samples to the Institute Pasteur of Dakar in 🇸🇳 for verification. The @mohgovgh has set up precautionary contact tracing, case investigations & preparedness in 🏥 with WHO support"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @mohgovgh "The renewal of the @UN Security Council resolution on cross-border operations in northwest #Syria is very good news for the nearly 4 and a-half million Syrians whose lives and health depend on this humanitarian access"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @mohgovgh @UN "WHO and partners will continue to deliver life-saving supplies and healthcare to this vulnerable population, 80% of whom are women and children"-@DrTedros #Syria

@DrTedros @mohgovgh @UN "We thank the Security Council for protecting and ensuring this vital operation serving civilians and avoiding an almost complete cut of vital aid"-@DrTedros #Syria

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1546860415413518342?s=20&t=tXcGU5kI4faU0ZIpNeXMkQ

The full remarks by @DrTedros - 12 July 2022 ⬇️ bit.ly/3NZwYg6