Thread by @WHO

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

"At the #UNGA here in New York, one of the most frequent questions I’m asked is, “Where do we stand? Is the pandemic over?”
At our media briefings over the past two weeks, I have said that pandemic is not over, but the end is in sight"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros "Both are true. Being able to see the end does not mean we are at the end"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1572953387314057219?s=20&t=nOsHV4BtJQQ-vHegmP5aHw

@DrTedros "Yes, we’re in a better position than we’ve ever been. The number of weekly #COVID19 deaths continues to decline, and are now just 10% of what they were at the peak in January 2021"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Two-thirds of the world’s population is vaccinated, including three-quarters of health workers and older people. In most countries, restrictions have ended and life looks much like it did before the #COVID19 pandemic"-@DrTedros

"But 10,000 deaths a week is 10,000 too many, when most of these deaths could be prevented"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1572953713043701761?s=20&t=m0doq_FYCkvrDnvT8W3DRQ

@DrTedros "Although population-level immunity has increased, there are still large vaccination gaps, especially in low- and middle-income countries. And the virus is still spreading, and still changing, with the ever-present risk of more dangerous variants emerging"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros "We have spent two-and-a-half years in a long, dark tunnel, and we are just beginning to glimpse the light at the end of that tunnel. But it is still a long way off, and the tunnel is still dark, with many obstacles that could trip us up if we don’t take care"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros "We all need hope that we can – & we will – get to the end of the tunnel & put the pandemic behind us.

But we’re not there yet.

We’re still in the tunnel, & we will only get to the end by focusing on the path ahead, & by moving forward with purpose & care"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros "The refrain of the #COVID19 pandemic has been that no one is safe until everyone is safe. That means everyone needs:
-to use, when needed, the simple tools that are available to stay safe: ↔️, 😷 & 🪟
-access to the medical tools to stay safe: 💉, tests & 💊"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "That’s still not the case. Just 19% of the population of low-income countries is vaccinated, and access to life-saving treatments is virtually non-existent"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1572955235911442432?s=20&t=nOsHV4BtJQQ-vHegmP5aHw

“So I welcome today’s announcement by the @GlobalFund that it has signed an agreement with Pfizer to facilitate access to the antiviral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, or Paxlovid, for countries through the @ACTAccelerator”-@DrTedros #COVID19

“It’s overdue, but this is the kind of action that is needed if we are truly to end the #COVID19 pandemic”-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/who/status/1572957385530003457

“Tomorrow I will join two meetings of world leaders here at the #UNGA – one hosted by 🇺🇸 @SecBlinken, and one by @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres – to take stock of where we are, and foster stronger political support for equitable access to #COVID19 tools”-@DrTedros

“Now to #Uganda, where health authorities this week declared an outbreak of #Ebola disease. So far, there are seven confirmed cases and one confirmed death, while another seven deaths are being investigated as probable Ebola”-@DrTedros

“16 people with suspected #Ebola disease are receiving care, & contact tracing is ongoing. WHO’s experts are on the ground, working with #Uganda’s experienced Ebola control teams to reinforce diagnosis, treatment & preventive measures”-@DrTedros

“We are also delivering medical supplies to support the care of patients”-@DrTedros #Ebola #Uganda

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1572958383266742272

“On #monkeypox, the number of weekly reported cases continues to decline. So far this year, more than 62,000 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported to WHO from 105 countries and territories, with 23 deaths”-@DrTedros

“The trends are encouraging, but as with #COVID19, this is not the time for any country or community to assume those trends will continue. This is the time to keep doing what works”-@DrTedros