The World Health Organisation (WHO) has ensured countries that the organisation will make COVID-19 vaccine accessible once a proven vaccine is developed and available. The Director-General, WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus made this assertion while addressing the committee during a virtual session of the 70th WHO Regional Committee for Africa. "Our continent is facing a health crisis unlike any we have faced before. Yesterday, we crossed 1 million reported cases in the region, with more than 20,000 deaths. The number of cases has doubled just in the past 6 weeks,"
"Everyone has a role to play from cleaning hands to maintaining physical distance, staying at home and wearing of masks where physical distancing is not possible," Ghebreyesus said.
He urged countries to intensify surveillance, testings, and contact tracing as focusing on vulnerable groups among other measures to foster the further spread of the Coronavirus, adding that proper precautions should be taken in places of large gatherings to reduce transmission.
"More than 100 people have now been infected and 43 people have died in a new outbreak of Ebola in the Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"Today we are also celebrating another public health triumph: the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa. This is an incredible achievement, & a much-needed cause for celebration,” the WHO DG said.
