According to an AFP source approximately 35 million cases of COVID-19 including 1.04 million deaths have been registered worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about a tenth of the world’s population have been infected by the coronavirus since it first surfaced in China. This count leaps quite ahead of the official figures, given the world population is around 7.8 billion.

“Our current best estimate tells us that about 10 percent of the global population may have been infected by this virus,” Michael Ryan told a special meeting of the agency’s executive board.

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The WHO emergencies director stressed on the fact that the infection level varied from urban to rqural surroundings and different groups.

Monday’s meeting also saw WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defend the UN, after the global body was accused of not handling the pandemic well.

“We must all look in the mirror and ask what we can do better. We’re not on the wrong path. We’re on the right path, but we need to go faste,” Tedros said.

He acknowledged that the process has to pick up some speed to get the world back on track. The 34 member executive board representing 34 countries who are elected for three-year periods, is meeting for two days this week for only its fifth-ever special session.

Ghebreyesus mentioned that aim of the special session is to implement an impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation of the WHO’s response to the pandemic.

He said that member countries were being encouraged to come up with new ideas insisting that “we have to be open to change and we have to implement changes now.”

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added that the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Himan Rights Council should evaluate each country’s rights situation every few years.

“We have now published more than 400 guidance documents for individuals, communities, schools, businesses, industries, health workers, health facilities and governments.”

“WHO doesn’t have the mandate or the capacity to do everything,” he said, adding though that it was uniquely positioned to coordinate the global response,” Tedros added.