World Health Organization (WHO) chief doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the impact of Covid will be felt for decades even as the virus’s spread across the world is slowing.
The WHO chief said that the impact of corona will be felt among the most vulnerable groups and the longer the pandemic lasts, the worse the impact. “The impact of the Covid pandemic will be felt for decades, especially among the most vulnerable groups. The longer the pandemic lasts, the worse the effects,” said Dr. Tedros.
Dr Tedros said currently only 42 per cent of the Commonwealth population has received a double dose of vaccination and there is wide disparity between countries.
He said, “African countries in the Commonwealth have achieved an average vaccination rate of only 23 percent. Bridging this gap is an urgent priority for the WHO, not only to bring the pandemic under control and save lives, but to protect livelihoods.”
Earlier, the WHO warned that as the virus evolves, vaccines may also need to be developed. Tedros said variants of SARS-CoV-2 may evade neutralizing antibodies induced by the vaccines.