Sucharita Ganguly

Geneva, Switzerland

In unusual public remarks on a government's management of the virus, the World Health Organization's head said on Tuesday that China's zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy is not sustainable given what is known about the disease. We don't think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, stated at a press conference. Also read: Amid criticism over zero-COVID policy, China's President warns naysayers,Following Tedros, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan stated that the impact of a zero-COVID policy on human rights must be considered alongside the effects on a country's economy. He also stated that 15,000 people have died in China since the virus initially appeared in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 — a comparatively modest number when compared to 999,475 in the United States and more than 500,000 in India. With that in mind, it's logical that one of the world's most populated countries would wish to take harsh measures to combat coronavirus spread, according to Ryan. Also read: In the making: A South Asian economic crisis?,Because of the expenses involved and the lack of data on its effectiveness, WHO recommendations have never suggested mass screening of asymptomatic persons, as is now being done in China. China's zero-COVID-19 policy has sparked outrage from scientists to its own residents, resulting in a loop of lockdowns affecting millions of people. In reaction to every coronavirus outbreak, authorities close down big population regions to prevent viral propagation, even if only a small number of people test positive. Shanghai, a city of 25 million people, was in its sixth week of a city-wide lockdown. Shanghai's precautions have been extremely stringent, with inhabitants only being permitted to leave compounds for extraordinary situations like as a medical emergency. Many are not even permitted to leave their front doors to interact with their neighbours. Also read: Shanghai's COVID outbreak 'under effective control', Beijing follows,Its quarantine approach has also been criticised for isolating youngsters from their parents and grouping asymptomatic individuals with those with symptoms. A disease control official in Beijing reported 59 new local COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Since April 22, the city had recorded a total of 836 local COVID-19 cases as of 3 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. Since the outbreak began on April 22, the capital's daily case count has not risen above a few dozen. However, it has found it difficult to considerably reduce them. In Shanghai, the number of new COVID-19 cases has been declining for over two weeks, but it remains in the thousands, and limitations are tightening. We are still in a critical period of epidemic prevention, Sun Xiaodong, deputy head of the Municipal Centre for Disease Control, confirmed. Also read: China confirms military drills near Taiwan, amid growing fears of invasion,China has been handicapped by the fact that its stringent pandemic-long policy has left the population with minimal acquired immunity through infection, with highly transmissible Omicron strains causing infections. In most industrialised countries, the working-age population has enjoyed greater rates of vaccination than the normally more vulnerable cohorts of seniors. The strategy is having a big influence on the world's second-largest economy, with significant ramifications for global trade and supply networks. According to an internal letter seen by Reuters, Tesla has paused most of its manufacturing at its Shanghai plant due to parts shortages. Tesla had intended to increase output to pre-lockdown levels by next week as recently as last week.

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In reaction to every coronavirus outbreak, authorities close down big population regions to prevent viral propagation, even if only a small number of people test positive.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topic/shanghai\\\">Shanghai</a>, a city of 25 million people, was in its sixth week of a city-wide lockdown.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Shanghai's precautions have been extremely stringent, with inhabitants only being permitted to leave compounds for extraordinary situations like as a medical emergency. Many are not even permitted to leave their front doors to interact with their neighbours.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/english/shanghais-covid-outbreak-under-effective-control-beijing-follows\\\">Shanghai's COVID outbreak 'under effective control', Beijing follows</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Its quarantine approach has also been criticised for isolating youngsters from their parents and grouping asymptomatic individuals with those with symptoms.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"A disease control official in <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topic/beijing\\\">Beijing</a> reported 59 new local COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Since April 22, the city had recorded a total of 836 local COVID-19 cases as of 3 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Since the outbreak began on April 22, the capital's daily case count has not risen above a few dozen. However, it has found it difficult to considerably reduce them.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In Shanghai, the number of new COVID-19 cases has been declining for over two weeks, but it remains in the thousands, and limitations are tightening.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"We are still in a critical period of epidemic prevention,\\\" Sun Xiaodong, deputy head of the Municipal Centre for Disease Control, confirmed.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/english/china-confirms-military-drills-near-taiwan-amid-growing-fears-of-invasion\\\">China confirms military drills near Taiwan, amid growing fears of invasion</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"China has been handicapped by the fact that its stringent pandemic-long policy has left the population with minimal acquired immunity through infection, with highly transmissible Omicron strains causing infections. In most industrialised countries, the working-age population has enjoyed greater rates of vaccination than the normally more vulnerable cohorts of seniors.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The strategy is having a big influence on the world's second-largest economy, with significant ramifications for global trade and supply networks.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"According to an internal letter seen by Reuters, <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/english/i-me-mine-elon-musk-to-now-dig-into-the-mining-sector\\\">Tesla</a> has paused most of its manufacturing at its Shanghai plant due to parts shortages. Tesla had intended to increase output to pre-lockdown levels by next week as recently as last week.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>China's zero-COVID-19 policy has sparked outrage from scientists to its own residents</li>
  <li>WHO chief Tedros calls it unsustainable</li>
  <li>Its impact on human rights and the economy are adverse</li>
</ul>

Opoyi Central

Why is China's zero-COVID policy zero percent effective?

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Shanghai

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IndiaNews

Geneva,Switzerland

GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization called on Pfizer to make its COVID-19 treatment more widely available in poorer countries, saying Tuesday that the pharmaceutical company's deal allowing generic producers to make the drug was insufficient.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news briefing that Pfizer's treatment was still too expensive. He noted that most countries in Latin America had no access to Pfizer’s drug, Paxlovid, which has been shown to cut the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death by up to 90%. “We remain concerned that low- and middle-income countries remain unable to access antivirals,” Tedros said, The WHO chief warned that the unequal distribution of COVID-19 drugs could ultimately mirror the grossly disproportionate distribution of coronavirus vaccines.For example, while countries such as Britain have vaccinated more than 70% of their populations, fewer than 16% of people in poor countries have received a single dose. Pfizer signed an agreement in November with the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool to allow other drugmakers to make generic copies of its pill, for use in 95 countries. Some large countries that suffered devastating COVID-19 outbreaks, like Brazil, were not included. Tedros said the deal does not go far enough and called for Pfizer to lift its geographic restrictions on where the generic version of Paxlovid might be used, as well as to make the pill less costly for developing countries.The U.S. paid about $500 for each course of Pfizer’s treatment, which consists of three pills taken twice a day for five days. Its price in developing countries has not yet been confirmed.WHO’s chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said most of the world's supply of Pfizer’s drug had already been booked by rich countries, similar to how they hoarded the vast majority of last year’s coronavirus vaccines. She applauded Pfizer’s agreement to let other drugmakers produce its drug, but noted that manufacturing would not start until next year. Swaminathan also appealed to Pfizer to drop its requirement for some developing countries to assume product liability in case there are any problems once it's rolled out. ___Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

WHO calls on Pfizer to make its COVID pill more available

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Britain

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London,United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization has slammed the global community for its focus on the war in Ukraine, arguing that crises elsewhere, including in his home country of Ethiopia, are not being given equal consideration, possibly because those suffering are not white. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus questioned “if the world really gives equal attention to Black and white lives,” given that the ongoing emergencies in Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria have garnered only a “fraction” of the global concern for Ukraine. He was speaking in a virtual press briefing from Geneva on Wednesday. Last month, Tedros said there is ”nowhere on earth where the health of millions of people is more under threat” than Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Since a truce was declared in Tigray three weeks ago, about 2,000 trucks should have been able to bring food, medicines and other essentials to the conflict-ridden area, he said. Instead, only about 20 trucks have arrived, said Tedros, a former minister of health in Ethiopia and an ethnic Tigrayan. “As we speak, people are dying of starvation,” he said. “This is one of the longest and worst sieges by both Eritrean and Ethiopian forces in modern history.”Tedros acknowledged that the war in Ukraine is globally significant, but asked if other crises are being accorded enough attention. “I need to be blunt and honest that the world is not treating the human race the same way,” he said. “Some are more equal than others.”Tedros described the situation in Tigray as “tragic” and said he “hopes the world comes back to its senses and treats all human life equally.” He also critiqued the press for its failure to document the ongoing atrocities in Ethiopia, noting that people had been burned alive in the region. “I don't even know if that was taken seriously by the media.”Earlier this year, the government of Ethiopia sent a letter to the World Health Organization, accusing Tedros of “misconduct” after his sharp criticism of the war and humanitarian crisis in the country.The Ethiopian government said Tedros was using his office “to advance his political interest at the expense of Ethiopia” and said he continues to be an active member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front; Tedros was Ethiopia's foreign minister and health minister when the TPLF dominated the country’s ruling coalition.

WHO chief: Focus on Ukraine shows bias against Black lives

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London

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Syria

Geneva

Johannesburg,South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Africa is moving to the “control phase” of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased vaccination rates will be crucial in helping the continent live with the disease, the World Health Organization’s Africa director Matshidiso Moeti said Thursday.“Although COVID-19 will be with us for the long term, there is light at the end of the tunnel, Moeti said. This year we can end the disruption and destruction the virus has left in its path, and gain back control over our lives.”Africa is heading toward “what might become a kind of endemic, living with the virus ... I believe that we are transitioning from the pandemic phase and we will now need to manage the presence of this virus,” she said, addressing reporters at a virtual media briefing.“Over the past two years, the African continent has gotten smarter, faster and better at responding to each new surge in cases of COVID-19,” said Moeti. “Against the odds, including huge inequities in access to vaccinations, we’ve weathered the COVID-19 storm with resilience and determination ... But COVID-19 has cost us dearly, with more than 242,000 lives lost and tremendous damage to our economies.”Moeti's optimism contrasts sharply with the warnings from WHO Geneva's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has said repeatedly the pandemic is not over and that it is premature for countries to think that the end might be imminent. “Wherever you live, COVID isn’t finished with us,” Tedros said this week. He has cautioned that new coronavirus variants are likely and could undo the progress made so far, saying populations in Africa are among the most at-risk.According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to have pushed up to 40 million people into extreme poverty on the continent, and every month of delay in lifting containment measures is estimated to cost Africa US$ 13.8 billion in lost gross domestic product, Moeti said.It is worrying that only 11% of Africa's adult population has been vaccinated despite the continent receiving more than 670 million vaccine doses, said Moeti. According to WHO's figures, Africa is among the least-affected continents by COVID, although cases and deaths have been undercounted, as they have been elsewhere. Some experts attribute that to the continent's younger demographic and tendency to spend more time outdoors, among other factors. “While many (rich) countries are considering booster shots, 85% of Africans have yet to receive a single shot, she said. To reach the levels of immunity achieved in other parts of the world, vaccine uptake needs to be significantly accelerated across the region, urgently. A steady supply of (COVID-19 vaccine) doses is reaching our shores, so the focus needs to be on translating those into actual shots in people’s arms.”She said Africa's 54 countries must implement lessons learned during the previous waves of the virus to deal with possible future waves or variants.“When we move into the next so-called control phase of COVID-19, or living with COVID-19, the capacity of countries to reduce and control incidents of infections will be key, said Moeti.“The ability to promptly prevent, diagnose and treat cases is what will mitigate the long-term consequences of future infections,” said Moeti.She said the continent needs to maintain political will and support for the local manufacturing of vaccines, therapeutic medicines and diagnostic tools.___AP journalist Maria Cheng in Toronto, Canada contributed.

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Why is China's zero-COVID policy zero percent effective?

WHO calls on Pfizer to make its COVID pill more available

WHO chief: Focus on Ukraine shows bias against Black lives

Africa moving toward control of COVID-19 says WHO director