‘Living with Covid doesn’t mean….’: WHO chief as deaths rise by 35% in 4 weeks

With the pandemic in its third year, it has been repeated multiple times by leaders and experts that the world has to learn to live with Covid.

But in a warning against dropping guards, WHO chief Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus has said that this does not mean that “we pretend it’s not there”. “It means we use all the tools we have to protect ourselves, and protect others,” he said.

The deaths – linked to Covid reported globally – have increased by 35 per cent in the last one month, he shared in the latest briefing on coronavirus. “We’re all tired of this virus, and tired of the pandemic. But the virus is not tired of us,” the World Health Organization chief further said.

Omicron remains the dominant variant and, in the last one month, BA.5 sub-variant represented more than 90% of sequences.

In a message to the world, the WHO chief – in a video shared on his Twitter account – is heard saying: “15,000 people around the world lost their lives to Covid. 15,000 a week is completely unacceptable when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save lives.”

“None of us is helpless. Please get vaccinated if you’re not, and get a booster (dose) if you need it. Wear mask and maintain social distancing,” the WHO chief urges in the video. “We cannot live (with the virus) with 15,000 deaths a week. We cannot live with mounting hospitalisations. We can’t live with inequitable access of vaccines,” the world health body chief said in a desperate appeal.

The world has reported over 59 crore cases since the start of the pandemic and over 64 lakh deaths. The United States has reported a majority of these cases (over 9.3 crore), followed by India (around 4.4 crore).

The WHO has on multiple instances spoken of unequal distribution of vaccines as the virus continues to mutate.