WHO chief says coronavirus 'not tired of us', warns 'European countries are struggling'

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned countries worldwide about the pandemic, saying, "We may be tired of Covid-19 but it is not tired of us”. Tedros was speaking at the 2020 Paris Peace Forum organized digitally amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “European countries are struggling but the virus has not changed significantly, nor the measures to stop it," WHO director-general said at the forum. 

Additionally, the EU pledged €100m to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility for the universal and fair development, manufacture, and equitable distribution of the vaccines. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organization. Director-General of the World Health Organization also called for the fair allocation of the Covid-19 vaccine to the poorer and the developing nations. Tedros’ warnings come as the hospitals in Europe are overwhelmed due to the resurgent tide of coronavirus infections and deaths spiking in the emergency wards. Across Europe, several countries went under partial lockdowns to avoid collapsing the healthcare systems. 

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94.7 per cent covid patients

According to sources of Euro News, Europe's worst-hit Czech Republic recorded an alarming two-month rise of the COVID-19 cases, and the hospitalizations dropped below the 8,000-mark only recently. The country recorded the EU's highest 14-day incidence rate for COVID-19 deaths with 26.1 fatalities per 100,000. Meanwhile, in France, the COVID-19 cases shot past “even the most pessimistic projections” as intensive care units saturated with 94.7 per cent COVID patients.

France imposed a second national lockdown scheduled to ease by December 1. Meanwhile, the UK has registered 50 per cent more patients than the first wave at the hospitals with more than 7 per cent of patients on a ventilator or supplement oxygens. UK’s cases peaked at more than 1,000 per 100,000 COVID-19 positive cases which reduced to 340.6 as per the latest Public Health England data. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the novel coronavirus was a long haul to get under control "in most of the world". In an online address WHO said that the pandemic was actually "getting worse".

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