It’s been 30 months since the COVID-19 outbreak was officially declared a pandemic and the end is finally in sight, according to the head of the World Health Organization.
“We are not there yet, but the end is in sight,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters during a Wednesday press conference in Geneva.
Using the analogy of a marathon race, Tedros explained that now is not the time to let up on precautionary efforts.
“A marathon runner does not stop when the finish line comes into view; she runs harder with all the energy she has left,” Tedros said. “So must we. We can see the finish line, we are in a winning position, but now is the worst time to stop running. Now is the time to run harder and make sure we cross the line and reap the rewards of all our hard work.”
Tedros urged all countries to continue working towards a 100% vaccination rate for high-risk individuals. He also said that countries need to take a closer look at their policies for not only COVID-19 but for future viruses.
As the rollout of vaccines and therapies has helped reduce deaths and hospitalizations nationwide, the number of weekly reported deaths last week was the lowest since March 2020.
