WHO chief: COVID-19 pandemic may end in near future

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WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 has dropped in the last week to the lowest level since March 2020, and the coronavirus pandemic may be over soon.

At a briefing in Geneva on Wednesday, he said, "Last week, the number of weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 was the lowest since March 2020," adding that “we have never been in a better position to end the pandemic. We are not there yet, but the end is in sight."

Ghebreyesus compared the coronavirus pandemic to a marathon, emphasizing: "The finish line is in sight. We're in a good position. However, this is the worst time to stop running." 

As a result, he urged the international community to make additional efforts to stop the spread of the infection. 

"If we do not seize this opportunity now, we risk more variants, deaths, disruption, and uncertainty. So let us take advantage of this opportunity”, the WHO director-general stated.

He pressed on all countries to fully immunize "the most vulnerable groups, such as health workers and the elderly." 

This is a priority task on the way to meeting the WHO's goal of vaccinating at least 70% of residents in each country, as per Ghebreyesus.

More than 3.1 million people worldwide have contracted the coronavirus infection in the last week, with approximately 11,000 deaths, according to WHO's weekly epidemiological update.

Meanwhile, the number of infections fell by 28% compared to the previous seven days, while the number of fatalities fell by 22%, as per the same source.

See more: COVID-19 caused the largest jump in deaths in 100 years