WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing that the organisation is helping India by providing thousands of oxygen concentrators, tents for mobile field hospitals, masks, and other medical supplies.
Photo: IANS
The World Health Organisation has said that the COVID-19 situation in India is ‘hugely concerning’ with several states reporting a high number of COVID-19 cases,and deaths.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing that the organisation is helping India by providing thousands of oxygen concentrators, tents for mobile field hospitals, masks, and other medical supplies.
However, it’s not only India that has emergency needs, he added. Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Egypt are just some of the countries that are dealing with spikes in cases and hospitalizations.
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“And we thank all the stakeholders who are supporting India,” Tedros said.
He added that the fact that so many are still not protected is a sad reflection on the gross distortion in access to vaccines across the globe.
“In January, I spoke about the potential unfolding of a moral catastrophe. Unfortunately, we are now witnessing this play out. In a handful of rich countries, which bought up the majority of the vaccine supply, lower-risk groups are now being vaccinated,” he said.
“I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to COVAX,” WHO said.
“Because in low and lower-middle-income countries, vaccine supply has not been enough to even immunize health and care workers, and hospitals are being inundated with people that need lifesaving care urgently. At present, only 0.3 percent of vaccine supply is going to low-income countries,” he added.
(With IANS inputs)
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