WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calls COVID-19 pandemic 'once-in-a-century' crisis

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday, July 31 called the COVID-19 pandemic a ‘once-in-a-century’ health crisis.

While the novel coronavirus has killed over 680,000 people around the world, the WHO chief, in a meeting of WHO’s emergency committee, warned that the effects of this ‘once-in-a-century’ health crisis will be felt for decades to come, international media reported. 

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The pandemic, which saw its first outbreak last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has now infected nearly 18 million people worldwide. The United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom have particularly been hit hard by the deadly virus. As governments around the world struggle to contain the disease, the global economy has been hit by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. 

Given the spread of the virus, WHO’s emergency committee took stock of the situation almost six months after sounding its alarm for the first time over the outbreak.

As per reports, Ghebreyesus said that it is sobering to think that six months ago when the world recommended declaring a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), there were less than 100 cases and no death outside China. 

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Escalating numbers of case, deaths 

With the virus spreading rapidly, last week, the global health agency noted that over 150 pharmaceutical companies are working on vaccines, although their first use cannot be expected until early 2021.

Even with scientists researching the new virus, the WHO chief on Friday said that there are still many questions that remain unanswered and populations remain vulnerable. While citing the early results from serology or antibodies studies, Ghebreyesus is reported to have said that the world’s people remain susceptible to the virus.

He added that several countries believed that they were past the worst, however, they are now grappling with new outbreaks. Ghebreyesus also noted that nations that were less affected in the earliest weeks are now seeing escalating numbers of cases and deaths, international media reported. 

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