WHO 'deeply committed' to stand with India; will save as many lives as we can: Tedros

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday expressed ‘deep concern’ about the increasing number of cases and deaths in India due to the COVID-19 variant’s second deadly wave. At the live-streamed opening remarks, Tedros called the COVID situation in India “complex,” as he said, that it may require a more robust and different response. He welcomed the steps, such as lockdown, that the country has taken to reduce social mixing and boosting vaccine production in order to inoculate all adults. “I offer my deep condolences to everyone in India who has lost someone they love,” the WHO chief said. “And I offer my deep commitment that WHO and our partners in the ACT Accelerator stand with the government and people of India and will do everything we can to save as many lives as we can,” he continued. 

“The situation in India is a devastating reminder of what this virus can do and why we must marshal every tool against it in a comprehensive and integrated approach: public health measures, vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics,” WHO Chief Tedros told a live streamed conference. “This is a scenario that is playing out around the world, and will continue to play out unless we ensure equitable access to the tools needed to save lives,” he further warned the other countries. 

Stressing that the WHO has got safe and effective vaccines to prevent COVID-19 and rapid diagnostics for testing, Tedros said that these effective tools will help to prevent infections and save lives. He lauded the health organization’s unique initiative: the access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, saying that it had two main aims. First, the rapid development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics; and equitable access to those tools. “The first objective has been achieved. We now have several safe and effective vaccines to prevent COVID-19; we have rapid diagnostics to test for it; and we have oxygen and dexamethasone to treat it,”  Tedros said, adding that the world needed to work on equitable access to these tools. 

'Share technology, intellectual property,' Tedros tells rich nations

Citing India, the WHO chief urged the rich nations of the world and companies that control the resources that could save lives to share with other nations. He urged the world to protect the most at-risk, not just the most-rich, adding that this also means sharing technology, know-how and intellectual property, so that other countries scale up production. “It’s not okay that people just like you and me die when we have the tools that could save them,” Tedros lamented.