COVID 19 Mark Her First Year Anniversary, Became One Year Old Today. WHO
Just on Thursday 31 December 2020, marks the first anniversary of the first report of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause were first reported by officials in Wuhan City In China and was later identified as a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2
The SARS-CoV-2 then led to a branded name COVID-19 and became a Pandemic in less than 3 months after moving from man to man, traveling from country to countries infecting millions of people
With over 82.1 million cases recorded, 46.5 million people recovered and 1.79 million killed by the virus in just one-year of global records 31 December 2020. See Statistic below
To mark the milestone and to look ahead to 2021, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus released a Video message on Wednesday reflecting on the progress made so far and calling for the world to take actions from the lessons learned so far
In Nigeria, the government has called on religious bodies to maintain compliance with the COVID 19 protocol in other to curb the spread of the virus in Africa most populated country
Watch Below the Video of Dr. Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General as COVID 19 Mark her first-year anniversary.
Dr. Tedros Adhanon Chebreyesus, WHO Director-General Speech Today On COVID 19 Mark Her First Year Anniversary, Became One Year Old Today. WHO Transcript
As people around the world celebrated new year’s eve 12 months ago, a new global threat emerged. Since that moment, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken so many lives and caused massive disruption to families, societies, and economies all over the world. But it also triggered the fastest and most wide-reaching response to a global health emergency in human history.
The hallmarks of this response have been an unparalleled mobilization of services, a search for solutions, and a commitment to global solidarity. Acts of generosity, large and small, equipped hospitals with the tools that health workers needed to stay safe and care for their patients.
The outpouring of kindness has helped society’s most vulnerable through troubled times.
Vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics have been developed and rolled out, at record speed, thanks to collaborations including the Access to COVID 19 Tools Accelerators
Equity is the essence of the ACT Accelerator, and its vaccine arm, COVAX, which has secured access to 2 billion doses of promising vaccine candidates.
The vaccine offers great hope to turn the tide of the pandemic. But to protect the world we must ensure that all people at risk everywhere not just in countries that can afford vaccines are immunized
To do this, COVAX needs just over 4 billion US dollars urgently to buy vaccines for low – and lower-middle-income countries.
This is the challenge we must rise to in the new year.
My brothers and sisters, the events of 2020 have provided telling lessons and reminders, for us all to take into 2021, first and foremost, 2020 has shown that governments must increase investment in public health, from funding access to COVID vaccines for all people to making our system better prepared to prevent and respond to the next, inevitable, pandemic
At the heart of this is investing in universal health coverages, to make health for all a reality.
Second
As it will take time to vaccinate everyone against COVID-19, we must keep adhering to tried and tested measures that keep each and all of us safe
This means maintaining physical distance, wearing face masks, practicing hand and respiratory hygiene, avoiding crowded indoor places, and meeting people outside
These simple, yet effective measures will save lives and reduce the suffering that so many people encountered 1n 2020
Third and above all
We must commit to working together in solidarity as a global community to promote and protect health today and in future
We have seen how division in politics and communities feeds the virus and foment the crisis. But collaboration and partnership save lives and safeguard societies
In 2020 a health crisis of historic proportions showed us just closely connected we all are
We saw how acts of kindness and care helped neighbors through times of great struggle. But we also witnessed how acts of malice and misinformation, caused avoidable harm
Going into 2021, we have a simple, yet profound, choice to make
Do we ignore the lessons of 2020 and allow insular, partisan approaches conspiracy theories, and attacks on science to prevail, resulting in unnecessary to people’s and society at large?
Or do we walk the last miles of this crisis together, helping each other along the way? from sharing vaccines fairly to offering accurate advice, compassion, and care to all need as one global family
The choice is easy, there is light at the end of the tunnel and we will get there taking the path together
Who stands with you, We Are Family and we are in this together. I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful safe and healthy new year
