World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Dr Tedros on Tuesday cautioned against blanket measures and knee-jerk reactions over Omicron variant of the Covid virus and said that such moves may not be necessary. He said that some countries were introducing such measures and penalising African nations unfairly.

"I well understand the concern of all countries to protect their citizens against a variant that we don't yet fully understand," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"But I am equally concerned that several Member States are introducing blunt, blanket measures that are not evidence-based or effective on their own, and which will only worsen inequities."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/who-chief-raises-alarm-over-vacccine-equity-amid-risk-of-omicron-spreading-globally-432799/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Omicron variant was first reported in South Africa a week ago. Though South Africa won international praise, the detection of new variant also caused global alarm and led to travel bans.

In remarks to a closed-door meeting posted on its website, the WHO's Ethiopian head urged the 194 member states to stick to "rational, proportional" measures.

There were still more questions than answers, Tedros said, about Omicron's severity and the effectiveness of vaccines.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netherlands-had-omicron-cases-a-week-before-south-africa-identified-the-covid-variant-433005">Netherlands had Omicron cases a week before South Africa identified the Covid variant</a> 
 
No Omicron-linked deaths have yet been reported though the WHO has said it poses a high risk of infection surges.

"Once again, I thank Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing and reporting this variant so rapidly," added Tedros. "It is deeply concerning to me that those countries are now being penalized by others for doing the right thing."

'Knee-jerk reaction'

Mid-way through a three-day WHO meeting of health ministers, Namibia's delegation on Tuesday expressed disappointment towards those states imposing travel bans on southern Africa.

"This travel ban is a knee-jerk reaction grounded in politics, not in science or guidance from the WHO Constitution," it said. "We therefore ask why is it that other states that (detected) the variant in persons who have no travel history to southern Africa are exempted from this travel ban?"

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/will-covishield-work-against-omicron-it-will-be-clear-in-2-3-weeks-says-serum-institutes-poonawalla-433016">Will Covishield work against Omicron? It will be clear in 2-3 weeks, says Serum Institute’s Poonawalla</a>

Tanzania called for an immediate lifting of the travel curbs, which are hurting tourism in the region, while Canada voiced gratitude for regional transparency.

"Transparent international collaboration, as demonstrated by the leadership of South Africa and the South African scientists who swiftly and openly shared information on this new variant, is what is needed now more than ever," said Leslie Norton, Canada's U.N. ambassador in Geneva.

(With inputs from agencies)

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Dr Tedros on Tuesday cautioned against blanket measures and knee-jerk reactions over Omicron variant of the Covid virus and said that such moves may not be necessary.

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Dr Tedros on Tuesday cautioned against blanket measures and knee-jerk reactions over Omicron variant of the Covid virus and said that such moves may not be necessary. He said that some countries were introducing such measures and penalising African nations unfairly. "I well understand the concern of all countries to protect their citizens against a variant that we don't yet fully understand," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "But I am equally concerned that several Member States are introducing blunt, blanket measures that are not evidence-based or effective on their own, and which will only worsen inequities." × Omicron variant was first reported in South Africa a week ago. Though South Africa won international praise, the detection of new variant also caused global alarm and led to travel bans. In remarks to a closed-door meeting posted on its website, the WHO's Ethiopian head urged the 194 member states to stick to "rational, proportional" measures. There were still more questions than answers, Tedros said, about Omicron's severity and the effectiveness of vaccines. Also Read | Netherlands had Omicron cases a week before South Africa identified the Covid variant No Omicron-linked deaths have yet been reported though the WHO has said it poses a high risk of infection surges. "Once again, I thank Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing and reporting this variant so rapidly," added Tedros. "It is deeply concerning to me that those countries are now being penalized by others for doing the right thing." 'Knee-jerk reaction' Mid-way through a three-day WHO meeting of health ministers, Namibia's delegation on Tuesday expressed disappointment towards those states imposing travel bans on southern Africa. "This travel ban is a knee-jerk reaction grounded in politics, not in science or guidance from the WHO Constitution," it said. "We therefore ask why is it that other states that (detected) the variant in persons who have no travel history to southern Africa are exempted from this travel ban?" Also Read | Will Covishield work against Omicron? It will be clear in 2-3 weeks, says Serum Institute’s Poonawalla Tanzania called for an immediate lifting of the travel curbs, which are hurting tourism in the region, while Canada voiced gratitude for regional transparency. "Transparent international collaboration, as demonstrated by the leadership of South Africa and the South African scientists who swiftly and openly shared information on this new variant, is what is needed now more than ever," said Leslie Norton, Canada's U.N. ambassador in Geneva. (With inputs from agencies)

Omicron threat: WHO warns against knee-jerk reaction, blanket measures

Amid panic over the Omicron variant, the World Health Organisation(WHO) chief Tedros&nbsp;Adhanom Ghebreyesus asserted that although vaccines save lives however it does not fully eliminate transmission of the virus.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"Vaccines save lives, but they do not fully prevent infection or <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> transmission. 
 
Until we reach high levels of vaccination in every country, suppressing transmission remains essential"-<a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrTedros</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WHASpecial?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WHASpecial</a> <a href="https://t.co/DAKujmAHT3">https://t.co/DAKujmAHT3</a>
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1465268887579209735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"The lack of sharing of biological samples hindered our collective ability to understand how the virus was evolving," he said, adding,"and it will all happen again unless nations of the world can come together to say with one voice: never again."&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-halts-border-reopening-after-two-more-omicron-cases-detected-432736">Also Read:&nbsp;Australia halts border reopening after two more Omicron cases detected</a>

The WHO chief said political divisions have deepened and inequalities widened undermining science with misinformation being abundant.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"And the lack of a consistent and coherent global approach has resulted in a splintered and disjointed response, breeding misunderstanding, misinformation and mistrust. 
 
The fabric of multilateralism has been frayed"-<a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrTedros</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WHASpecial?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WHASpecial</a> <a href="https://t.co/QihTEU5FKw">https://t.co/QihTEU5FKw</a>
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1465271822597959685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Tedros focussed the world's attention on Africa amid the detection of the new virus variant informing that at least 103 countries have not reached even 40 per cent of vaccination with most of them being in Africa.

The WHO chief reminded that the vulnerable should be vaccinated first and then boosters&nbsp;should be given to healthy people.

Watch:&nbsp;'EU in better shape to face new covid wave'

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/amid-fears-of-new-covid-19-variant-eu-in-better-shape-to-face-new-covid-wave-432674/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"The lack of sharing of information and data by many countries in the early days of the pandemic hindered our collective ability to get a clear picture of its profile and trajectory," the WHO chief reiterated.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"Science has been undermined. Misinformation has abounded. 
 
And it will all happen again unless you, the nations of the world, can come together to say with one voice: never again. 
 
At its heart, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> pandemic is a crisis of solidarity and sharing"-<a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrTedros</a> <a href="https://t.co/BwuJvpamHL">pic.twitter.com/BwuJvpamHL</a>
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1465271326281805828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/moderna-says-current-vaccines-not-effective-against-the-omicron-variant-432697">Also Read:&nbsp;Moderna says current vaccines not effective against the Omicron variant</a>

Tedros recalled that millions of people have lost their jobs and plunged into poverty due to the pandemic even as the global economy has been clawing its way out of recession.

Tedros pointed out that 5 million people have died due to the virus, however, "excess deaths caused by the virus and by disruption to essential health services are far higher."

Tedros said the world needed "tailored" and "comprehensive measures" with lockdowns being the "last resort in the most extreme circumstances."

(With inputs from Agencies)

Amid panic over the Omicron variant, the World Health Organisation(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asserted that although vaccines save lives however it does not fully eliminate transmission of the virus.

Amid panic over the Omicron variant, the World Health Organisation(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asserted that although vaccines save lives however it does not fully eliminate transmission of the virus. "Vaccines save lives, but they do not fully prevent infection or #COVID19 transmission. Until we reach high levels of vaccination in every country, suppressing transmission remains essential"-@DrTedros #WHASpecial https://t.co/DAKujmAHT3 — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 29, 2021 × "The lack of sharing of biological samples hindered our collective ability to understand how the virus was evolving," he said, adding,"and it will all happen again unless nations of the world can come together to say with one voice: never again." Also Read: Australia halts border reopening after two more Omicron cases detected The WHO chief said political divisions have deepened and inequalities widened undermining science with misinformation being abundant. "And the lack of a consistent and coherent global approach has resulted in a splintered and disjointed response, breeding misunderstanding, misinformation and mistrust. The fabric of multilateralism has been frayed"-@DrTedros #WHASpecial https://t.co/QihTEU5FKw — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 29, 2021 × Tedros focussed the world's attention on Africa amid the detection of the new virus variant informing that at least 103 countries have not reached even 40 per cent of vaccination with most of them being in Africa. The WHO chief reminded that the vulnerable should be vaccinated first and then boosters should be given to healthy people. Watch: 'EU in better shape to face new covid wave' "The lack of sharing of information and data by many countries in the early days of the pandemic hindered our collective ability to get a clear picture of its profile and trajectory," the WHO chief reiterated. "Science has been undermined. Misinformation has abounded. And it will all happen again unless you, the nations of the world, can come together to say with one voice: never again. At its heart, the #COVID19 pandemic is a crisis of solidarity and sharing"-@DrTedros pic.twitter.com/BwuJvpamHL — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 29, 2021 × Also Read: Moderna says current vaccines not effective against the Omicron variant Tedros recalled that millions of people have lost their jobs and plunged into poverty due to the pandemic even as the global economy has been clawing its way out of recession. Tedros pointed out that 5 million people have died due to the virus, however, "excess deaths caused by the virus and by disruption to essential health services are far higher." Tedros said the world needed "tailored" and "comprehensive measures" with lockdowns being the "last resort in the most extreme circumstances." (With inputs from Agencies)

Vaccines save lives but do not fully prevent virus transmission: WHO chief

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has steered the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is on course to serve a second five-year term as head of the World Health Organization (WHO) after being the only candidate nominated by 28 countries.

Tedros, a former health and foreign minister of Ethiopia, was the first African elected WHO director-general in May 2017.

The clean slate for the May election comes even as the European Commission suspending funding to WHO programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo over a major sexual abuse scandal, as reported exclusively by Reuters on Thursday.

Some 83 aid workers, a quarter of them employed by the WHO, were involved in sexual exploitation and abuse during Congo's 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic, an independent probe said last month.

Health ministers from the WHO's 194 member states are also due to hold an exceptional assembly in November amid mounting pressure for reform pursuant to the organisation's handling of the pandemic.

Tedros drew support from France and Germany, among other European Union members, and three African countries - Botswana, Kenya and Rwanda - the official nomination list showed. Britain, China, Russia and the United States were not among them.

"WHO can announce that a single candidate was proposed by member states by the 23 September 2021 deadline: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is the incumbent director-general," the agency said in a statement. The nominations were kept secret to limit lengthy campaigning.

Earlier, the agency sent a letter to member states informing them of the confidential nominations contained in the sealed envelopes submitted by the deadline

Ethiopia declined to nominate Tedros for a second term due to friction over the conflict in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, making it necessary for other countries to step in and do so.

The issue is so sensitive that the African Union has not even discussed the appointment, including at its latest summit this month, African diplomats said.

Tedros has led the global response to COVID-19, the worst public health crisis in a century, which broke out in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has killed 5.2 million people.

The United States, under former President Donald Trump, accused him of being "China-centric", a charge he denies.

Relations have warmed since Joe Biden's administration took office in January.

But he annoyed China with public calls in July for it to share Wuhan lab audits and provide more data on early COVID-19 cases. WHO investigators have yet to regain access to the country to probe the origins of coronavirus.

"STAYING POWER"

The United States and Germany have led major donors in demanding fundamental reforms to the WHO's structure, financing and capacity to deal with outbreaks.

The European Commission informed the WHO on Oct. 7 that it was immediately suspending funding to its Congo programmes due to concerns over its handling of the sexual abuse scandal. Tedros went to Congo 14 times during the epidemic but says that he was unaware of the allegations.

"We have received the (EU) letter and we are now considering a response," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told a briefing on Friday.

A European source, asked whether the Congo scandal could have an impact on Tedros' re-election, said: "Nope. He personally is taking the right steps and measures. As long as there is not a direct link to him. Which I don’t see."

An African ambassador in Geneva, declining to be identified, said: “Dr. Tedros has done a very good job dealing with a severe pandemic with severe repercussions. He has tried to contribute within the capacity and the resources of WHO and to realize a more equitable distribution of vaccines at the global level."

“He is a friend of Africa, he has done a lot of work and deserves a lot of support," the ambassador said.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, speaking at a news briefing with Tedros on Thursday, where the WHO launched a $23.4 billion plan to bring COVID-19 vaccines and drugs to poorer countries, told him:

"I wish you all luck in your endeavour and I salute your staying power and your ability to keep focus on this agenda, servicing your broad membership and the whole world."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has steered the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is on course to serve a second five-year term as head of the World Health Organization (WHO) after being the only candidate nominated by 28 countries.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has steered the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is on course to serve a second five-year term as head of the World Health Organization (WHO) after being the only candidate nominated by 28 countries. Tedros, a former health and foreign minister of Ethiopia, was the first African elected WHO director-general in May 2017. The clean slate for the May election comes even as the European Commission suspending funding to WHO programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo over a major sexual abuse scandal, as reported exclusively by Reuters on Thursday. Some 83 aid workers, a quarter of them employed by the WHO, were involved in sexual exploitation and abuse during Congo's 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic, an independent probe said last month. Health ministers from the WHO's 194 member states are also due to hold an exceptional assembly in November amid mounting pressure for reform pursuant to the organisation's handling of the pandemic. Tedros drew support from France and Germany, among other European Union members, and three African countries - Botswana, Kenya and Rwanda - the official nomination list showed. Britain, China, Russia and the United States were not among them. "WHO can announce that a single candidate was proposed by member states by the 23 September 2021 deadline: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is the incumbent director-general," the agency said in a statement. The nominations were kept secret to limit lengthy campaigning. Earlier, the agency sent a letter to member states informing them of the confidential nominations contained in the sealed envelopes submitted by the deadline Ethiopia declined to nominate Tedros for a second term due to friction over the conflict in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, making it necessary for other countries to step in and do so. The issue is so sensitive that the African Union has not even discussed the appointment, including at its latest summit this month, African diplomats said. Tedros has led the global response to COVID-19, the worst public health crisis in a century, which broke out in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has killed 5.2 million people. The United States, under former President Donald Trump, accused him of being "China-centric", a charge he denies. Relations have warmed since Joe Biden's administration took office in January. But he annoyed China with public calls in July for it to share Wuhan lab audits and provide more data on early COVID-19 cases. WHO investigators have yet to regain access to the country to probe the origins of coronavirus. "STAYING POWER" The United States and Germany have led major donors in demanding fundamental reforms to the WHO's structure, financing and capacity to deal with outbreaks. The European Commission informed the WHO on Oct. 7 that it was immediately suspending funding to its Congo programmes due to concerns over its handling of the sexual abuse scandal. Tedros went to Congo 14 times during the epidemic but says that he was unaware of the allegations. "We have received the (EU) letter and we are now considering a response," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told a briefing on Friday. A European source, asked whether the Congo scandal could have an impact on Tedros' re-election, said: "Nope. He personally is taking the right steps and measures. As long as there is not a direct link to him. Which I don’t see." An African ambassador in Geneva, declining to be identified, said: “Dr. Tedros has done a very good job dealing with a severe pandemic with severe repercussions. He has tried to contribute within the capacity and the resources of WHO and to realize a more equitable distribution of vaccines at the global level." “He is a friend of Africa, he has done a lot of work and deserves a lot of support," the ambassador said. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, speaking at a news briefing with Tedros on Thursday, where the WHO launched a $23.4 billion plan to bring COVID-19 vaccines and drugs to poorer countries, told him: "I wish you all luck in your endeavour and I salute your staying power and your ability to keep focus on this agenda, servicing your broad membership and the whole world."

Tedros sole nominee as WHO chief, UN agency says

As India successfully vaccinated more than 100 crore citizens on Thursday, WHO Chief congratulated the country and PM Modi for this achievement.<o:p></o:p>

Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, took to Twitter to send out his best wishes and congratulate the Indian government for achieving this important milestone.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Congratulations, Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a>, the scientists, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/healthworkers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#healthworkers</a> and people of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a>, on your efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> and achieve <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaccinEquity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VaccinEquity</a> targets.<a href="https://t.co/ngVFOszcmE">https://t.co/ngVFOszcmE</a>
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1451078629232979969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Congratulations, Prime Minister @narendramodi, the scientists, #healthworkers and people of #India, on your efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from #COVID19 and achieve #VaccinEquity targets,"&nbsp;he tweeted.

<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

His message came a few hours after India successfully administered <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/historic-milestone-pm-modi-world-leaders-congratulate-india-for-administering-one-billion-covid-19-doses-422544">one billion</a> Covid vaccines after nearly 10 months of starting the vaccination campaign in the country.<o:p></o:p>

The historic mark was crossed at around 9:47 am on Thursday (October 21) morning, as per the CoWIN website — the digital platform used to manage immunisation records.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-crosses-historic-one-billion-covid-19-vaccine-milestone-422530">India crosses historic one billion COVID-19 vaccine milestone</a></o:p>

Calling it a 'historic' moment, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated all doctors, nurses, emergency workers, citizens and all others involved.<o:p></o:p>

"We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians," PM Modi tweeted. "Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. #VaccineCentury."

<o:p></o:p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>&nbsp;</h5>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
India scripts history. 
 
We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. 
 
Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaccineCentury?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VaccineCentury</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1451051712387731458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=&lt;blockquote class=twitter-tweet&gt;&lt;p lang=en dir=ltr&gt;India scripts history. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. &lt;a data-cke-saved-href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaccineCentury?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaccineCentury?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&gt;#VaccineCentury&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) &lt;a data-cke-saved-href=https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1451051712387731458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw href=https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1451051712387731458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&gt;October 21, 2021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8></script>" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">×</a></div>
</div>
</div>

Several other dignitaries such as the Bhutan’s foreign minister Tandi Dorji, Bhiutan's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett&nbsp;and WHO’s regional director of South Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, among several others, also congratulated the Indian government and citizens for achieveing this important milestone.<o:p></o:p>

The Indian government has also been helping neighbouring countries with vaccine supply to ensure that the world is able to eradicate the dangerous coronavirus as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p>

As India successfully vaccinated more than 100 crore citizens on Thursday, WHO Chief congratulated the country and PM Modi for this achievement. Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, took to Twitter to send out his best wishes and congratulate the Indian government for achieving this important milestone.

As India successfully vaccinated more than 100 crore citizens on Thursday, WHO Chief congratulated the country and PM Modi for this achievement. Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, took to Twitter to send out his best wishes and congratulate the Indian government for achieving this important milestone. Congratulations, Prime Minister @narendramodi, the scientists, #healthworkers and people of #India, on your efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from #COVID19 and achieve #VaccinEquity targets.https://t.co/ngVFOszcmE — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 21, 2021 × "Congratulations, Prime Minister @narendramodi, the scientists, #healthworkers and people of #India, on your efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from #COVID19 and achieve #VaccinEquity targets," he tweeted. His message came a few hours after India successfully administered one billion Covid vaccines after nearly 10 months of starting the vaccination campaign in the country. The historic mark was crossed at around 9:47 am on Thursday (October 21) morning, as per the CoWIN website — the digital platform used to manage immunisation records. Also read | India crosses historic one billion COVID-19 vaccine milestone Calling it a 'historic' moment, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated all doctors, nurses, emergency workers, citizens and all others involved. "We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians," PM Modi tweeted. "Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. #VaccineCentury." India scripts history. We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. #VaccineCentury — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 21, 2021 × Several other dignitaries such as the Bhutan’s foreign minister Tandi Dorji, Bhiutan's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett and WHO’s regional director of South Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, among several others, also congratulated the Indian government and citizens for achieveing this important milestone. The Indian government has also been helping neighbouring countries with vaccine supply to ensure that the world is able to eradicate the dangerous coronavirus as soon as possible.

WHO chief congratulates PM Modi for administering one billion COVID-19 doses

The World Health Organization has said that it has witnesses a growth in the global tuberculosis deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

As per the WHO report, 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis&nbsp;last year, including more than 200,000 people with HIV.

According to Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director, Global TB Programme, World Health Organization (WHO), “A crucial message is related to the access to essential services and again, due to COVID impact, we can see that these gaps are growing, and 4.1 million people didn't receive access to timely diagnosis and life-saving treatment.”

“Less than 50 percent of the funding needed to provide services are available, and for TB research and innovation, we have less than one billion available, all this is becoming critical. And we see that the world is not on track to reach our high-level meeting on tuberculosis targets for 2022. And we have just one year left to the next UN General Assembly high-level meeting in 2023,” Kasaeva added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-boosters-necessary-to-stop-the-spread-study-420708">Also read |&nbsp;Covid boosters necessary to stop the spread: Study</a>

The report stated that only one in each three people with drug-resistant tuberculosis received the treatment for it.

In the case of comparison with the previous year, there has been a drop of 21 percent in the provision of TB preventive treatment.

The pandemic has caused several disruptions in the healthcare facilities available leading to a setback to the progress.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-says-it-is-last-chance-to-find-origin-of-covid-19-420559">Also read |&nbsp;WHO says it is 'last chance' to find origin of COVID-19</a>

"This is alarming news that must serve as a global wake-up call to the urgent need for investments and innovation to close the gaps in diagnosis, treatment and care for the millions of people affected by this ancient but preventable and treatable disease," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.&nbsp;

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that most often affect the lungs.&nbsp;Like Covid, it is transmitted by air by infected people, for example by coughing.

Most TB cases occur in just 30 countries, many of them in poorer nations in Africa and Asia, and more than half of all new cases are in adult men. Women account for 33 percent of cases and children 11 percent.&nbsp;

The WHO's aim is to reduce deaths from TB by 90 per cent, and the incidence rate by 80 percent by 2030 compared to 2015, but the latest figures threaten to jeopardise the strategy, it said.&nbsp;

And its modelling suggest the number of people developing the disease and dying from it could be "much higher in 2021 and 2022".

The report said that the number of people newly diagnosed and cases reported to national authorities fell from 7.1 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020.&nbsp;

India, Indonesia, the Philippines and China were the main countries that saw a drop in reported cases.&nbsp;

The World Health Organization has said that it has witnesses a growth in the global tuberculosis deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. As per the WHO report, 1.

The World Health Organization has said that it has witnesses a growth in the global tuberculosis deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. As per the WHO report, 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis last year, including more than 200,000 people with HIV. According to Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director, Global TB Programme, World Health Organization (WHO), “A crucial message is related to the access to essential services and again, due to COVID impact, we can see that these gaps are growing, and 4.1 million people didn't receive access to timely diagnosis and life-saving treatment.” “Less than 50 percent of the funding needed to provide services are available, and for TB research and innovation, we have less than one billion available, all this is becoming critical. And we see that the world is not on track to reach our high-level meeting on tuberculosis targets for 2022. And we have just one year left to the next UN General Assembly high-level meeting in 2023,” Kasaeva added. Also read | Covid boosters necessary to stop the spread: Study The report stated that only one in each three people with drug-resistant tuberculosis received the treatment for it. In the case of comparison with the previous year, there has been a drop of 21 percent in the provision of TB preventive treatment. The pandemic has caused several disruptions in the healthcare facilities available leading to a setback to the progress. Also read | WHO says it is 'last chance' to find origin of COVID-19 "This is alarming news that must serve as a global wake-up call to the urgent need for investments and innovation to close the gaps in diagnosis, treatment and care for the millions of people affected by this ancient but preventable and treatable disease," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that most often affect the lungs. Like Covid, it is transmitted by air by infected people, for example by coughing. Most TB cases occur in just 30 countries, many of them in poorer nations in Africa and Asia, and more than half of all new cases are in adult men. Women account for 33 percent of cases and children 11 percent. The WHO's aim is to reduce deaths from TB by 90 per cent, and the incidence rate by 80 percent by 2030 compared to 2015, but the latest figures threaten to jeopardise the strategy, it said. And its modelling suggest the number of people developing the disease and dying from it could be "much higher in 2021 and 2022". The report said that the number of people newly diagnosed and cases reported to national authorities fell from 7.1 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020. India, Indonesia, the Philippines and China were the main countries that saw a drop in reported cases.

WHO says global tuberculosis deaths rise due to coronavirus pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected its panel to investigate the origin of COVID-19, saying it is the 'last chance' to do so.&nbsp;

The 26 members of this panel include several individuals of the Wuhan probe who went to China in February for investigating the source of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. They are Chinese animal health expert Yang Yungui, Marion Koomans, Thea Fischer, and Hung Nguyen.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-china-will-not-allow-foreigners-to-test-wuhan-blood-samples-420541/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said the UN health agency is seeking to "take a step back, create an environment where we can again look at the scientific issues."

"This is our best chance, and it may be our last chance to understand the origins of this virus."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/unless-true-origin-of-coronavirus-is-identified-another-chinese-pandemic-is-in-the-offing-320236">Also read |&nbsp;Unless true origin of coronavirus is identified, another Chinese pandemic is in the offing</a>

In response, China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Chen Xu said "I do believe that if we are going to continue with the scientific research I think it should be a joint effort based on science, not by the intelligence agencies."

"So if we are going to talk about anything, we are doing the whole business with the framework of Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO)."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wuhan-lab-staff-sought-hospital-care-before-covid-19-outbreak-disclosed-wsj-387022">Also read |&nbsp;Wuhan lab staff sought hospital care before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed: WSJ</a>

Earlier, China had refused WHO's request to inspect animal breeding farms and bat caves in Enshi a few miles away from Wuhan.

WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that "The emergence of new viruses with the potential to spark epidemics and pandemics is a fact of nature, and while SARS-CoV-2 is the latest such virus, it will not be the last.''

"Understanding where new pathogens come from is essential for preventing future outbreaks."

He had previously accused China of hampering the research of the origin of COVID-19 by lack of transparency and raw data and stresses on lab audits.

Former US President Donald Trump had accused China of developing and leaking the novel virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

China was the world's first epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The first case of COVID-19 had emerged from Wuhan in December 2019.

 
&nbsp;

The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected its panel to investigate the origin of COVID-19, saying it is the 'last chance' to do so. The 26 members of this panel include several individuals of the Wuhan probe who went to China in February for investigating the source of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected its panel to investigate the origin of COVID-19, saying it is the 'last chance' to do so. The 26 members of this panel include several individuals of the Wuhan probe who went to China in February for investigating the source of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. They are Chinese animal health expert Yang Yungui, Marion Koomans, Thea Fischer, and Hung Nguyen. WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said the UN health agency is seeking to "take a step back, create an environment where we can again look at the scientific issues." "This is our best chance, and it may be our last chance to understand the origins of this virus." Also read | Unless true origin of coronavirus is identified, another Chinese pandemic is in the offing In response, China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Chen Xu said "I do believe that if we are going to continue with the scientific research I think it should be a joint effort based on science, not by the intelligence agencies." "So if we are going to talk about anything, we are doing the whole business with the framework of Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO)." Also read | Wuhan lab staff sought hospital care before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed: WSJ Earlier, China had refused WHO's request to inspect animal breeding farms and bat caves in Enshi a few miles away from Wuhan. WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that "The emergence of new viruses with the potential to spark epidemics and pandemics is a fact of nature, and while SARS-CoV-2 is the latest such virus, it will not be the last.'' "Understanding where new pathogens come from is essential for preventing future outbreaks." He had previously accused China of hampering the research of the origin of COVID-19 by lack of transparency and raw data and stresses on lab audits. Former US President Donald Trump had accused China of developing and leaking the novel virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. China was the world's first epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The first case of COVID-19 had emerged from Wuhan in December 2019.

WHO says it is 'last chance' to find origin of COVID-19

Germany is seeking support from other European Union members to ensure a second term for Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the helm of the World Health Organisation, but African states have yet to show their cards, government sources and diplomats said on Wednesday.

The deadline for proposing candidates in the politically charged race is Thursday at 1600 GMT and no other candidate for the election in May is known to have surfaced, they said.

Tedros, who was elected as WHO's first African director-general in May 2017, has been shunned this time by his native Ethiopia due to friction over the Tigray conflict.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn backed a second term for Tedros on Tuesday and called on other countries to support the former Ethiopian health and foreign minister ahead of the deadline.

Government sources in Berlin made clear to Reuters on Wednesday it was now an official nomination.

"Right now an effort is going on, led by Germany, looking for other member states to join Germany in nominating him," a Western diplomat said. "Germany won't be alone."

Tedros, who has been the public face of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, has trodden a fine line while managing to anger both China and the United States at different times.

The Trump administration accused him of being "China-centric", a charge he denies. But relations have improved since President Joe Biden took office and Tedros said in July that a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China were needed, including audits of laboratories.

One African diplomat at the African Union said that, a day ahead of the deadline, the appointment of the new head of the WHO had not been discussed among member countries.

An African ambassador in Addis Ababa said that he was not aware of any member of the African Union preparing an alternative candidate. Most regional countries are keen to see him stay in the job, where he has promoted their access to COVID-19 vaccines and the start of vaccine production on the continent, he said.

A senior African diplomat based in Geneva said he did not expect any country in the African group to nominate Tedros as he did not enjoy Ethiopia's backing.

African countries are expected to support Tedros' re-election, however, and the senior diplomat was not aware of any other candidates from Africa or from another region.

"As a regional group it is always difficult when the home country doesn't support its own national. It would be complicated for an African country other than his country of origin to take the initiative," he told Reuters.

Germany is seeking support from other European Union members to ensure a second term for Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the helm of the World Health Organisation, but African states have yet to show their cards, government sources and diplomats said on Wednesday.

Germany is seeking support from other European Union members to ensure a second term for Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the helm of the World Health Organisation, but African states have yet to show their cards, government sources and diplomats said on Wednesday. The deadline for proposing candidates in the politically charged race is Thursday at 1600 GMT and no other candidate for the election in May is known to have surfaced, they said. Tedros, who was elected as WHO's first African director-general in May 2017, has been shunned this time by his native Ethiopia due to friction over the Tigray conflict. German Health Minister Jens Spahn backed a second term for Tedros on Tuesday and called on other countries to support the former Ethiopian health and foreign minister ahead of the deadline. Government sources in Berlin made clear to Reuters on Wednesday it was now an official nomination. "Right now an effort is going on, led by Germany, looking for other member states to join Germany in nominating him," a Western diplomat said. "Germany won't be alone." Tedros, who has been the public face of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, has trodden a fine line while managing to anger both China and the United States at different times. The Trump administration accused him of being "China-centric", a charge he denies. But relations have improved since President Joe Biden took office and Tedros said in July that a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China were needed, including audits of laboratories. One African diplomat at the African Union said that, a day ahead of the deadline, the appointment of the new head of the WHO had not been discussed among member countries. An African ambassador in Addis Ababa said that he was not aware of any member of the African Union preparing an alternative candidate. Most regional countries are keen to see him stay in the job, where he has promoted their access to COVID-19 vaccines and the start of vaccine production on the continent, he said. A senior African diplomat based in Geneva said he did not expect any country in the African group to nominate Tedros as he did not enjoy Ethiopia's backing. African countries are expected to support Tedros' re-election, however, and the senior diplomat was not aware of any other candidates from Africa or from another region. "As a regional group it is always difficult when the home country doesn't support its own national. It would be complicated for an African country other than his country of origin to take the initiative," he told Reuters.

Germany seeks backing for Tedros at WHO helm as Africa quiet: Diplomats

The World Health Organization called Wednesday for countries to avoid giving out extra Covid jabs until year-end, pointing to the millions worldwide who have yet to receive a single dose.

"I will not stay silent when the companies and countries that control the global supply of vaccines think the world's poor should be satisfied with leftovers," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists.

Speaking from WHO's headquarters in Geneva, Tedros urged wealthy countries and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccine</a> makers to prioritise getting the first jabs to health workers and vulnerable populations in poorer nations over boosters.

"We do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated," he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/clinically-vulnerable-people-to-get-covid-vaccines-third-dose-in-italy-411453" hreflang="en">'Clinically vulnerable' people to get Covid vaccine’s third dose in Italy</a>

The WHO called last month for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots until the end of September to address the drastic inequity in dose distribution between rich and poor nations.&nbsp;

But Tedros acknowledged Wednesday that there had "been little change in the global situations since then.

"So today I am calling for an extension of the moratorium until at least the end of the year," he said.

High-income countries had promised to donate more than one billion vaccine doses to poorer countries, he said — "but less than 15 percent of those doses have materialised.

"We don't want any more promises," he said. "We just want the vaccines."

'Appalled'

Despite the call for a moratorium, some countries have been arguing for booster jabs not only for vulnerable people but also for the wider population, citing signs of waning vaccine effectiveness against the highly transmissive Delta variant.

The WHO has acknowledged that an additional dose could be needed for immunocompromised people, but stresses that for healthy people, the vaccines still seem very effective, especially in preventing severe disease.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-can-long-covid-be-linked-to-dementia-410574">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-can-long-covid-be-linked-to-dementia-410574/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"There is not a compelling case to move forward with a generalised recommendation for booster doses," Kate O'Brien, the WHO's vaccines chief, told Wednesday's news conference.

The UN health agency has set a global target of seeing every country vaccinate at least 10 percent of its population by the end of this month, and at least 40 percent by the end of this year.

It wants to see at least 70 percent of the world's population vaccinated by the middle of next year.

But Tedros lamented that while 90 percent of wealthy countries have hit the 10-percent mark, and more than 70 percent have already reached 40-percent, "not a single low-income country has reached either target".

He expressed outrage at a statement by a pharmaceutical industry organisation that the world's seven wealthiest nations, known as the G7, now had enough vaccines for all adults and teenagers -- and to offer boosters to at-risk groups -- and so the focus should shift to dose sharing.

"When I read this, I was appalled," he said.

"In reality, manufacturers and high-income countries have long had the capacity to not only vaccinate their own priority groups, but to simultaneously support the vaccination of those same groups in all countries."

The World Health Organization called Wednesday for countries to avoid giving out extra Covid jabs until year-end, pointing to the millions worldwide who have yet to receive a single dose.

The World Health Organization called Wednesday for countries to avoid giving out extra Covid jabs until year-end, pointing to the millions worldwide who have yet to receive a single dose. "I will not stay silent when the companies and countries that control the global supply of vaccines think the world's poor should be satisfied with leftovers," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists. Speaking from WHO's headquarters in Geneva, Tedros urged wealthy countries and vaccine makers to prioritise getting the first jabs to health workers and vulnerable populations in poorer nations over boosters. "We do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated," he said. Also read | 'Clinically vulnerable' people to get Covid vaccine’s third dose in Italy The WHO called last month for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots until the end of September to address the drastic inequity in dose distribution between rich and poor nations. But Tedros acknowledged Wednesday that there had "been little change in the global situations since then. "So today I am calling for an extension of the moratorium until at least the end of the year," he said. High-income countries had promised to donate more than one billion vaccine doses to poorer countries, he said — "but less than 15 percent of those doses have materialised. "We don't want any more promises," he said. "We just want the vaccines." 'Appalled' Despite the call for a moratorium, some countries have been arguing for booster jabs not only for vulnerable people but also for the wider population, citing signs of waning vaccine effectiveness against the highly transmissive Delta variant. The WHO has acknowledged that an additional dose could be needed for immunocompromised people, but stresses that for healthy people, the vaccines still seem very effective, especially in preventing severe disease. WATCH | "There is not a compelling case to move forward with a generalised recommendation for booster doses," Kate O'Brien, the WHO's vaccines chief, told Wednesday's news conference. The UN health agency has set a global target of seeing every country vaccinate at least 10 percent of its population by the end of this month, and at least 40 percent by the end of this year. It wants to see at least 70 percent of the world's population vaccinated by the middle of next year. But Tedros lamented that while 90 percent of wealthy countries have hit the 10-percent mark, and more than 70 percent have already reached 40-percent, "not a single low-income country has reached either target". He expressed outrage at a statement by a pharmaceutical industry organisation that the world's seven wealthiest nations, known as the G7, now had enough vaccines for all adults and teenagers -- and to offer boosters to at-risk groups -- and so the focus should shift to dose sharing. "When I read this, I was appalled," he said. "In reality, manufacturers and high-income countries have long had the capacity to not only vaccinate their own priority groups, but to simultaneously support the vaccination of those same groups in all countries."

WHO urges Covid vaccine booster moratorium until 2022

The&nbsp;World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization (WHO) has created a new expert&nbsp;group to continue research into the origins of coronavirus&nbsp;in Wuhan despite China's opposition.

The UN health agency's&nbsp;director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference, ''the International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO, is a new advisory group for WHO, which will be responsible for advising WHO on the development of a global framework to systematically study the emergence of future emerging pathogens with pandemic potential.''

The WHO asked countries to come together to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus and urged equitable access to essential countermeasures.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/covid-cases-hit-7-months-high-in-china-404569/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Earlier, Tedros had&nbsp;asked&nbsp;China to share raw data from the earliest Covid-19 cases to revive its probe into the origins of the disease.

"We oppose political tracing... and abandoning the joint report" issued after a WHO expert team visited Wuhan in January, vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu had told reporters. "We support scientific tracing."

After much delay, a WHO team of international experts went to Wuhan in January 2021 to produce a first phase report, which was written in conjunction with their Chinese counterparts.

Their March report drew no firm conclusions, instead ranking four hypotheses.

It said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while a leak from the Wuhan virology labs was "extremely unlikely".

'Arrogance towards science'

However, the investigation faced criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not evaluating the lab-leak theory more deeply.

A WHO call last month for the investigation's second stage to include audits of the Wuhan labs infuriated Beijing, with vice&nbsp;health&nbsp;minister Zeng Yixin saying the plan showed "disrespect for common sense and arrogance towards science".

After reading the phase one report, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concluded that the probe into Wuhan's virology labs had not gone far enough.

Meanwhile, Danish scientist Peter Ben Embarek, who led the international mission to Wuhan, said a lab employee infected while taking samples in the field falls under one of the likely hypotheses as to how the virus passed from bats to humans.

He told the Danish public channel TV2 that the suspect bats were not from the Wuhan region and the only people likely to have approached them were workers from the Wuhan labs.

(With inputs from Agencies)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a new expert group to continue research into the origins of coronavirus in Wuhan despite China's opposition. The UN health agency's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference, ''the International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO, is a new advisory group for WHO, which will be responsible for advising WHO on the development of a global framework to systematically study the emergence of future emerging pathogens with pandemic potential.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a new expert group to continue research into the origins of coronavirus in Wuhan despite China's opposition. The UN health agency's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference, ''the International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO, is a new advisory group for WHO, which will be responsible for advising WHO on the development of a global framework to systematically study the emergence of future emerging pathogens with pandemic potential.'' The WHO asked countries to come together to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus and urged equitable access to essential countermeasures. Earlier, Tedros had asked China to share raw data from the earliest Covid-19 cases to revive its probe into the origins of the disease. "We oppose political tracing... and abandoning the joint report" issued after a WHO expert team visited Wuhan in January, vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu had told reporters. "We support scientific tracing." After much delay, a WHO team of international experts went to Wuhan in January 2021 to produce a first phase report, which was written in conjunction with their Chinese counterparts. Their March report drew no firm conclusions, instead ranking four hypotheses. It said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while a leak from the Wuhan virology labs was "extremely unlikely". 'Arrogance towards science' However, the investigation faced criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not evaluating the lab-leak theory more deeply. A WHO call last month for the investigation's second stage to include audits of the Wuhan labs infuriated Beijing, with vice health minister Zeng Yixin saying the plan showed "disrespect for common sense and arrogance towards science". After reading the phase one report, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concluded that the probe into Wuhan's virology labs had not gone far enough. Meanwhile, Danish scientist Peter Ben Embarek, who led the international mission to Wuhan, said a lab employee infected while taking samples in the field falls under one of the likely hypotheses as to how the virus passed from bats to humans. He told the Danish public channel TV2 that the suspect bats were not from the Wuhan region and the only people likely to have approached them were workers from the Wuhan labs. (With inputs from Agencies)

WHO forms new expert group to continue research into origins of Covid in Wuhan

Calling for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, WHO chief&nbsp;Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that ''we&nbsp;cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.''

The call for a moratorium comes&nbsp;as the gap between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens.

It is the strongest statement yet from the UN agency at a time when countries deliberate the need for boosters to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-recovered-from-covid-but-still-suffering-all-about-long-covid-402963/embed" style="width: 100%; max-width: 560px;" width="560"></iframe>

High-income countries administered around 50 doses for every 100 people in May, and that number has since doubled, according to WHO. Low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 doses for every 100 people, due to lack of supply.

"We need an urgent reversal from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries to the majority going to low-income countries," Tedros said.

To counter the spread of the Delta variant, some countries have begun to use or started weighing on the need for booster doses even as scientists debate over whether or not extra shots are needed.

"The fact that we are vaccinating healthy adults with a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines is a short-sighted way of thinking," said Elin Hoffmann Dahl, infectious diseases medical adviser to Medecins Sans Frontieres' access campaign.

"With the emergence of new variants, if we continue to leave the majority of the world unvaccinated, we will most definitely need adjusted vaccines in the future," Dahl told Reuters.

Last week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog received the third shot of the coronavirus vaccine, kicking off a campaign to give booster doses to people aged over 60 in the country.

Meanwhile, the&nbsp;United States signed a&nbsp;deal with Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech in July&nbsp;to buy 200 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to help with pediatric vaccination as well as possible booster shots.

(With inputs from agencies)

Calling for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that ''we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.

Calling for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that ''we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.'' The call for a moratorium comes as the gap between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens. It is the strongest statement yet from the UN agency at a time when countries deliberate the need for boosters to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus. High-income countries administered around 50 doses for every 100 people in May, and that number has since doubled, according to WHO. Low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 doses for every 100 people, due to lack of supply. "We need an urgent reversal from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries to the majority going to low-income countries," Tedros said. To counter the spread of the Delta variant, some countries have begun to use or started weighing on the need for booster doses even as scientists debate over whether or not extra shots are needed. "The fact that we are vaccinating healthy adults with a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines is a short-sighted way of thinking," said Elin Hoffmann Dahl, infectious diseases medical adviser to Medecins Sans Frontieres' access campaign. "With the emergence of new variants, if we continue to leave the majority of the world unvaccinated, we will most definitely need adjusted vaccines in the future," Dahl told Reuters. Last week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog received the third shot of the coronavirus vaccine, kicking off a campaign to give booster doses to people aged over 60 in the country. Meanwhile, the United States signed a deal with Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech in July to buy 200 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to help with pediatric vaccination as well as possible booster shots. (With inputs from agencies)

Halt the boosters: WHO says it is 'unacceptable' that some countries are using most of vaccine's global supply

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has&nbsp;proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities.

It comes after Tedros said that&nbsp;investigations were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of the spread of COVID-19 in China.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-why-did-china-delete-200-virus-samples-from-wuhan-393763/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Phase two work would require studies of humans, wildlife and animal markets in Wuhan, including Huanan wholesale market, he said in remarks released by the agency.

It would also require "audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases identified in December 2019", Tedros said.

Diplomats said that China, which has resisted a return by international scientists, voiced objections at the closed-door talks saying: "This plan is not a basis for future studies."

A WHO-led team spent four weeks in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers and said in a joint report in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal.

But countries including the United States and some scientists have demanded further investigation, particularly into the Wuhan Institute of Virology which was conducting research into bats.

"Finding the origins of this virus is a scientific exercise that must be kept free from politics. For that to happen, we expect China to support this next phase of the scientific process by sharing all relevant data in a spirit of transparency," Tedros said.

China has called the theory that the virus may have escaped from a Wuhan laboratory "absurd" and said repeatedly that "politicizing" the issue would hamper investigations.

At a regular news briefing on Friday, when asked about Tedros's earlier comments on the need for more data from China, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that some data was unable to be copied or leave China as it involved personal information.

Faced with international criticism over how it handled the initial outbreak in the central city of Wuhan and calls for an international inquiry into the causes of the pandemic, Beijing has been keen to position itself as a saviour for other countries now struggling to control the virus.

China, where the coronavirus first surfaced in late 2019, has&nbsp;promised billions of dollars in aid, medical equipment and vaccines to countries around the world in recent months as it brought domestic outbreaks under control.

(With inputs from agencies)

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities. It comes after Tedros said that investigations were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of the spread of COVID-19 in China. Phase two work would require studies of humans, wildlife and animal markets in Wuhan, including Huanan wholesale market, he said in remarks released by the agency. It would also require "audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases identified in December 2019", Tedros said. Diplomats said that China, which has resisted a return by international scientists, voiced objections at the closed-door talks saying: "This plan is not a basis for future studies." A WHO-led team spent four weeks in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers and said in a joint report in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal. But countries including the United States and some scientists have demanded further investigation, particularly into the Wuhan Institute of Virology which was conducting research into bats. "Finding the origins of this virus is a scientific exercise that must be kept free from politics. For that to happen, we expect China to support this next phase of the scientific process by sharing all relevant data in a spirit of transparency," Tedros said. China has called the theory that the virus may have escaped from a Wuhan laboratory "absurd" and said repeatedly that "politicizing" the issue would hamper investigations. At a regular news briefing on Friday, when asked about Tedros's earlier comments on the need for more data from China, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that some data was unable to be copied or leave China as it involved personal information. Faced with international criticism over how it handled the initial outbreak in the central city of Wuhan and calls for an international inquiry into the causes of the pandemic, Beijing has been keen to position itself as a saviour for other countries now struggling to control the virus. China, where the coronavirus first surfaced in late 2019, has promised billions of dollars in aid, medical equipment and vaccines to countries around the world in recent months as it brought domestic outbreaks under control. (With inputs from agencies)

WHO proposes second phase of studies into the origins of COVID-19 in China

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday&nbsp;that investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in&nbsp;China&nbsp;were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of spread there and urged it to be more transparent.

A WHO-led team spent four weeks in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers and said in a joint report in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-why-did-china-delete-200-virus-samples-from-wuhan-393763/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

It said that "introduction through a laboratory incident was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway", but countries including the United States and some scientists were not satisfied.

"We ask&nbsp;China&nbsp;to be transparent and open and to cooperate," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on Thursday.

"We owe it to the millions who suffered and the millions who died to know what happened," he said.

China&nbsp;has called the theory that the virus may have escaped from a Wuhan laboratory "absurd" and said repeatedly that "politicizing" the issue will hamper investigations.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn, who held talks with Tedros on Thursday, urged&nbsp;China&nbsp;to enable investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue, saying more information was needed.

Tedros will brief WHO's 194 member states on Friday&nbsp;regarding a proposed second phase of study, WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said.

"We look forward to working with our Chinese counterparts on that process and the director-general will outline measures to member states at a meeting tomorrow, on Friday," he told reporters.

Spahn, who was speaking during a visit to the WHO headquarters in Geneva, also announced a 260 million euro ($307 million) donation to WHO's ACT-Accelerator programme, which aims to ensure the entire world, including poorer countries, receive COVID-19 vaccines and tests.

The UN health agency has been facing intensifying pressure for a new, more in-depth investigation of Covid-19's origins.

The WHO only managed to send a team of independent, international experts to Wuhan in January, more than a year after Covid-19 first surfaced there in late 2019, to help probe the pandemic origins.

But in their long-delayed report published in late March, the international team and their Chinese counterparts drew no firm conclusions, instead ranking a number of hypotheses according to how likely they believed they were.

The report said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while a theory involving the virus leaking from a laboratory was "extremely unlikely".

The investigation and report have faced criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not evaluating the lab-leak theory more deeply -- a mere 440 words of the report were dedicated to discussing and dismissing it.

Long dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy theory, and vehemently rejected by Beijing, the idea that Covid-19 may have emerged from a lab leak has been gaining increasing momentum in the United States especially.

(With inputs from agencies)

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in China were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of spread there and urged it to be more transparent.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in China were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of spread there and urged it to be more transparent. A WHO-led team spent four weeks in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers and said in a joint report in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal. It said that "introduction through a laboratory incident was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway", but countries including the United States and some scientists were not satisfied. "We ask China to be transparent and open and to cooperate," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on Thursday. "We owe it to the millions who suffered and the millions who died to know what happened," he said. China has called the theory that the virus may have escaped from a Wuhan laboratory "absurd" and said repeatedly that "politicizing" the issue will hamper investigations. German Health Minister Jens Spahn, who held talks with Tedros on Thursday, urged China to enable investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue, saying more information was needed. Tedros will brief WHO's 194 member states on Friday regarding a proposed second phase of study, WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said. "We look forward to working with our Chinese counterparts on that process and the director-general will outline measures to member states at a meeting tomorrow, on Friday," he told reporters. Spahn, who was speaking during a visit to the WHO headquarters in Geneva, also announced a 260 million euro ($307 million) donation to WHO's ACT-Accelerator programme, which aims to ensure the entire world, including poorer countries, receive COVID-19 vaccines and tests. The UN health agency has been facing intensifying pressure for a new, more in-depth investigation of Covid-19's origins. The WHO only managed to send a team of independent, international experts to Wuhan in January, more than a year after Covid-19 first surfaced there in late 2019, to help probe the pandemic origins. But in their long-delayed report published in late March, the international team and their Chinese counterparts drew no firm conclusions, instead ranking a number of hypotheses according to how likely they believed they were. The report said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while a theory involving the virus leaking from a laboratory was "extremely unlikely". The investigation and report have faced criticism for lacking transparency and access, and for not evaluating the lab-leak theory more deeply -- a mere 440 words of the report were dedicated to discussing and dismissing it. Long dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy theory, and vehemently rejected by Beijing, the idea that Covid-19 may have emerged from a lab leak has been gaining increasing momentum in the United States especially. (With inputs from agencies)

WHO says China should provide raw data on pandemic's origins

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused on Friday that Ethiopian authorities blocked ambulances from reaching victims of an airstrike this week. This was a rare statement that Dr Tedros made about conflict in his homeland.

Tedros is an ethnic Tigrayan and former Ethiopian Cabinet minister.

The airstrike hit a crowded market in his native region. &nbsp;

"Ambulances were blocked for more than a day from attending the scene and evacuating the wounded for medical care," Tedros said.

"WHO is currently providing life-saving trauma and surgical supplies to a hospital that is treating survivors who were able to reach care," Tedros said. "Attacks on civilians anywhere are completely unacceptable and so is denying them access to immediate care, because we lose lives."

Tedros has occasionally tweeted about the conflict in Tigray, but has rarely mentioned it while speaking publicly in his official capacity as head of the WHO.

Ethiopia's government has accused him in the past of supporting its opponents in the Tigray conflict, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, which he previously represented as Ethiopia's health minister and foreign minister.

Ethiopia's military has denied that any civilians were among those killed in the airstrike on the town of Togoga near the regional capital Mekelle. A military spokesman said on Thursday that all those struck were combatants, wearing civilian clothes.

Residents and doctors, however, have said that women and children were among the dead and wounded. A health official working on the response to the airstrike said on Friday the death toll had risen to 64 killed, with 180 other people wounded.

The incident was one of the deadliest in months in a conflict in which the government had said major fighting largely ended last year.

(With inputs from agencies)

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused on Friday that Ethiopian authorities blocked ambulances from reaching victims of an airstrike this week.

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused on Friday that Ethiopian authorities blocked ambulances from reaching victims of an airstrike this week. This was a rare statement that Dr Tedros made about conflict in his homeland. Tedros is an ethnic Tigrayan and former Ethiopian Cabinet minister. The airstrike hit a crowded market in his native region. "Ambulances were blocked for more than a day from attending the scene and evacuating the wounded for medical care," Tedros said. "WHO is currently providing life-saving trauma and surgical supplies to a hospital that is treating survivors who were able to reach care," Tedros said. "Attacks on civilians anywhere are completely unacceptable and so is denying them access to immediate care, because we lose lives." Tedros has occasionally tweeted about the conflict in Tigray, but has rarely mentioned it while speaking publicly in his official capacity as head of the WHO. Ethiopia's government has accused him in the past of supporting its opponents in the Tigray conflict, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, which he previously represented as Ethiopia's health minister and foreign minister. Ethiopia's military has denied that any civilians were among those killed in the airstrike on the town of Togoga near the regional capital Mekelle. A military spokesman said on Thursday that all those struck were combatants, wearing civilian clothes. Residents and doctors, however, have said that women and children were among the dead and wounded. A health official working on the response to the airstrike said on Friday the death toll had risen to 64 killed, with 180 other people wounded. The incident was one of the deadliest in months in a conflict in which the government had said major fighting largely ended last year. (With inputs from agencies)

WHO chief says victims of Ethiopia airstrike denied access to care

As several countries are facing a surge in coronavirus cases, the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed concern.

Talking about the increasing rate of infection, he said "cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates" and claimed this is the highest rate so far in the pandemic.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/germany-in-grip-of-third-wave-angela-merkel-warns-amid-coronavirus-surge-377998" hreflang="en">Germany in grip of third wave: Angela Merkel warns amid coronavirus surge</a>

He raised these concerns while addressing a briefing on growing coronavirus cases in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the western Pacific region.

"While these numbers are still small than other countries, the increase is sharp and WHO is very concerned about the potential for a much larger epidemic,"&nbsp;Tedros said.

Cases have been alarmingly increasing in Papua New Guinea, owing to poor health infrastructure. This has raised concerns about the poor living conditions of the area too.

PNG health minister Jelta Wong also said the authorities have been facing problems in convincing people to wear masks and maintain social distance as people still refuse to believe the deadly virus exists.

As several countries are facing a surge in coronavirus cases, the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed concern. Talking about the increasing rate of infection, he said "cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates" and claimed this is the highest rate so far in the pandemic.

As several countries are facing a surge in coronavirus cases, the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed concern. Talking about the increasing rate of infection, he said "cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates" and claimed this is the highest rate so far in the pandemic. Also read | Germany in grip of third wave: Angela Merkel warns amid coronavirus surge He raised these concerns while addressing a briefing on growing coronavirus cases in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the western Pacific region. "While these numbers are still small than other countries, the increase is sharp and WHO is very concerned about the potential for a much larger epidemic," Tedros said. Cases have been alarmingly increasing in Papua New Guinea, owing to poor health infrastructure. This has raised concerns about the poor living conditions of the area too. PNG health minister Jelta Wong also said the authorities have been facing problems in convincing people to wear masks and maintain social distance as people still refuse to believe the deadly virus exists.

Increasing coronavirus infection rate worse in pandemic till now: WHO chief

The World Health Organization chief on Tuesday criticised the&nbsp;lack of data access from China for the study on the origins of COVID-19.

China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led team, one of the team’s investigators has already said, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the global pandemic began.

"In my discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties they encountered in accessing raw data," Tedros said. "I expect future collaborative studies to include more timely and comprehensive data sharing."

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/who-china-team-rules-out-wuhan-lab-leak-hypothesis-374168/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

The conclusions that the virus origins remains incomplete likely means that tensions over how the pandemic started, and whether China has helped or hinder efforts to find out, as the United States has alleged,&nbsp;will continue.

A team commissioned by the&nbsp;World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization&nbsp;to investigate the source of the coronavirus in Wuhan in January concluded that it was "extremely unlikely" that the pathogen originated in a top-security lab in the ground-zero Chinese city.

The WHO team's leader, Peter Ben Embarek, told a separate virtual press briefing on Tuesday that it was "perfectly possible" COVID-19 cases were circulating in November or October 2019 around Wuhan, potentially leading to the disease spreading abroad earlier than documented so far.

He said the team felt political pressure, including from outside China, but that he never was pressed to remove anything from its final report.

Covid-19 has killed more than 2.7 million people worldwide in the 15 months since it emerged, forcing governments around the&nbsp;world&nbsp;to introduce restrictions that have battered the global economy.

The probe was plagued by delays, concern over access and bickering between Beijing and Washington, which under former US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's administration accused China of hiding the extent of the initial outbreak.

The WHO declared on January&nbsp;30, 2020, that COVID-19 constituted an international emergency, its highest level of alert.

The World Health Organization chief on Tuesday criticised the lack of data access from China for the study on the origins of COVID-19. China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led team, one of the team’s investigators has already said, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the global pandemic began.

The World Health Organization chief on Tuesday criticised the lack of data access from China for the study on the origins of COVID-19. China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led team, one of the team’s investigators has already said, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the global pandemic began. "In my discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties they encountered in accessing raw data," Tedros said. "I expect future collaborative studies to include more timely and comprehensive data sharing." The conclusions that the virus origins remains incomplete likely means that tensions over how the pandemic started, and whether China has helped or hinder efforts to find out, as the United States has alleged, will continue. A team commissioned by the World Health Organization to investigate the source of the coronavirus in Wuhan in January concluded that it was "extremely unlikely" that the pathogen originated in a top-security lab in the ground-zero Chinese city. The WHO team's leader, Peter Ben Embarek, told a separate virtual press briefing on Tuesday that it was "perfectly possible" COVID-19 cases were circulating in November or October 2019 around Wuhan, potentially leading to the disease spreading abroad earlier than documented so far. He said the team felt political pressure, including from outside China, but that he never was pressed to remove anything from its final report. Covid-19 has killed more than 2.7 million people worldwide in the 15 months since it emerged, forcing governments around the world to introduce restrictions that have battered the global economy. The probe was plagued by delays, concern over access and bickering between Beijing and Washington, which under former US President Donald Trump's administration accused China of hiding the extent of the initial outbreak. The WHO declared on January 30, 2020, that COVID-19 constituted an international emergency, its highest level of alert.

WHO chief criticises lack of data access from China for Covid origins' study

The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday appealed to Tanzania to take "robust action" to combat Covid-19 in the country, where the president has long played down the virus.

President John Magufuli has claimed coronavirus has been has fended off by prayer in Tanzania and refused to take measures to curb its spread.&nbsp;

But a recent spate of deaths attributed to pneumonia has struck both members of the public and government officials.

And Magufuli on Friday appeared to admit the coronavirus was circulating in his country after months of denial.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/south-african-covid-19-strain-detected-in-4-returnees-centre-364086">South African Covid-19 strain detected in 4 returnees: Centre</a>

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a number of Tanzanians travelling to neighbouring countries and beyond have tested positive for the coronavirus.

"This underscores the need for Tanzania to take robust action both to safeguard their own people and protect populations in these countries and beyond," he said in a statement.

Tedros said he had urged Tanzania in late January to take measures against the pandemic and to prepare for vaccinations.

"Since then I have spoken with several authorities in Tanzania but WHO is yet to receive any information regarding what measures Tanzania is taking to respond to the pandemic.

Papaya, quail and goat

"This situation remains very concerning. I renew my call for Tanzania to start reporting COVID-19 cases and share data.

"I also call on Tanzania to implement the public health measures that we know work in breaking the chains of transmission, and to prepare for vaccination."

The country last gave case figures in April 2020, reporting 509 infections.

At the same time, Magufuli revealed he had secretly had a variety of items tested for the virus — of which papaya, a quail and a goat apparently tested positive.

On Wednesday, the vice president of semi-autonomous Zanzibar, Seif Sharif Hamad, died after his opposition party admitted he had contracted coronavirus.

The head of the civil service, John Kijazi, also died Wednesday.&nbsp;

The cause of death has not been revealed. But Magufuli brought up Covid-19 at his funeral.

"When this respiratory disease erupted last year, we won because we put God first and took other measures. I'm sure we will win again if we do so this time around," he said.&nbsp;

However, dissent is mounting within the country to the government's position on the pandemic.

On Saturday, the Tanzania Law Society became the first professional body to call on the government to openly recognise the virus and take adequate measures.

The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday appealed to Tanzania to take "robust action" to combat Covid-19 in the country, where the president has long played down the virus.

The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday appealed to Tanzania to take "robust action" to combat Covid-19 in the country, where the president has long played down the virus. President John Magufuli has claimed coronavirus has been has fended off by prayer in Tanzania and refused to take measures to curb its spread. But a recent spate of deaths attributed to pneumonia has struck both members of the public and government officials. And Magufuli on Friday appeared to admit the coronavirus was circulating in his country after months of denial. Also read| South African Covid-19 strain detected in 4 returnees: Centre WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a number of Tanzanians travelling to neighbouring countries and beyond have tested positive for the coronavirus. "This underscores the need for Tanzania to take robust action both to safeguard their own people and protect populations in these countries and beyond," he said in a statement. Tedros said he had urged Tanzania in late January to take measures against the pandemic and to prepare for vaccinations. "Since then I have spoken with several authorities in Tanzania but WHO is yet to receive any information regarding what measures Tanzania is taking to respond to the pandemic. Papaya, quail and goat "This situation remains very concerning. I renew my call for Tanzania to start reporting COVID-19 cases and share data. "I also call on Tanzania to implement the public health measures that we know work in breaking the chains of transmission, and to prepare for vaccination." The country last gave case figures in April 2020, reporting 509 infections. At the same time, Magufuli revealed he had secretly had a variety of items tested for the virus — of which papaya, a quail and a goat apparently tested positive. On Wednesday, the vice president of semi-autonomous Zanzibar, Seif Sharif Hamad, died after his opposition party admitted he had contracted coronavirus. The head of the civil service, John Kijazi, also died Wednesday. The cause of death has not been revealed. But Magufuli brought up Covid-19 at his funeral. "When this respiratory disease erupted last year, we won because we put God first and took other measures. I'm sure we will win again if we do so this time around," he said. However, dissent is mounting within the country to the government's position on the pandemic. On Saturday, the Tanzania Law Society became the first professional body to call on the government to openly recognise the virus and take adequate measures.

WHO chief calls on Tanzania to combat COVID-19

WHO Director-General&nbsp;Tedros&nbsp;Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday cautioned against relaxing restrictions that have helped curb the spread of the coronavirus&nbsp;around the world.

''Now is not the time for any country to relax measures or for any individual to let down their guard,'' he&nbsp;told a briefing.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said the number of reported infections globally has declined for the fourth week in a row, and the number of deaths also fell for the second consecutive week.

While the figures reported by countries to the WHO for the week ending Feb 8 are still incomplete, the global body said so far about 1.9 million newly confirmed cases were registered worldwide, down from more than 3.2 million the previous week.

Tedros said members of a WHO expert mission who recently visited China to investigate the possible source of the outbreak would publish a summary of their findings next week.

Chinese scientists and the WHO's team of international researchers said this week that the coronavirus most likely first appeared in humans after jumping from an animal, and an alternate theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab was unlikely.

The mission has said its main hypotheses are that the virus originated in a bat, although there are several possible scenarios for how it passed to humans, possibly first by infecting another species of animal.

Peter Ben Embarek, the leader of the WHO mission, said Friday the labs in Wuhan that his team visited stated they had not been working with the virus that causes COVID-19 or had it in their collections before the outbreak. But he said it was possible the virus could still be present in samples that haven't yet been analysed.

He said the team had gained a much better insight into the early stages of the outbreak and concluded there was no large cluster of the disease in Wuhan or elsewhere around the city in the months prior to the first cases in December 2019.&nbsp;

The former administration of US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, which left office last month, said it believed the virus may have escaped from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan. China has strongly denied this and says the Wuhan Institute of Virology was not studying related viruses.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday cautioned against relaxing restrictions that have helped curb the spread of the coronavirus around the world.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday cautioned against relaxing restrictions that have helped curb the spread of the coronavirus around the world. ''Now is not the time for any country to relax measures or for any individual to let down their guard,'' he told a briefing. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said the number of reported infections globally has declined for the fourth week in a row, and the number of deaths also fell for the second consecutive week. While the figures reported by countries to the WHO for the week ending Feb 8 are still incomplete, the global body said so far about 1.9 million newly confirmed cases were registered worldwide, down from more than 3.2 million the previous week. Tedros said members of a WHO expert mission who recently visited China to investigate the possible source of the outbreak would publish a summary of their findings next week. Chinese scientists and the WHO's team of international researchers said this week that the coronavirus most likely first appeared in humans after jumping from an animal, and an alternate theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab was unlikely. The mission has said its main hypotheses are that the virus originated in a bat, although there are several possible scenarios for how it passed to humans, possibly first by infecting another species of animal. Peter Ben Embarek, the leader of the WHO mission, said Friday the labs in Wuhan that his team visited stated they had not been working with the virus that causes COVID-19 or had it in their collections before the outbreak. But he said it was possible the virus could still be present in samples that haven't yet been analysed. He said the team had gained a much better insight into the early stages of the outbreak and concluded there was no large cluster of the disease in Wuhan or elsewhere around the city in the months prior to the first cases in December 2019. The former administration of US President Donald Trump, which left office last month, said it believed the virus may have escaped from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan. China has strongly denied this and says the Wuhan Institute of Virology was not studying related viruses.

WHO chief warns of complacency as global virus cases drop

WHO vaccine experts said Wednesday the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine could be used&nbsp;for people aged over 65, and also in settings where variants of the virus are circulating.

The announcement came after the vaccine has suffered several setbacks, raising questions about whether it was appropriate to use it for older people, or in places where a variant of the virus first found in South Africa is circulating.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/who-warns-south-africa-against-dismissing-astrazeneca-vaccine-362450/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In interim recommendations on the shot, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) panel said the vaccine should be given in two doses, with an interval of around 8 to 12 weeks between the first and second doses.

SAGE chief Alejandro Cravioto acknowledged that there was a lack of data on the efficacy of the vaccine for people over the age of 65, which has prompted a number of countries to recommend against its use in older people.

SAGE also said that even where questions have been raised about the vaccine's efficacy against a South African variant of the coronavirus, "there is no reason not to recommend its use".

Also read-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oxfordastrazeneca-jab-fails-to-prevent-coronavirus-from-south-african-strain-study-361874">Oxford/AstraZeneca jab fails to prevent coronavirus from South African strain: Study</a>

South Africa this week paused its rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine after data from a small trial showed it did not protect against mild to moderate illness from the 501Y.V2 variant of the coronavirus now dominant in the country.

'Don't prioritise international travellers'&nbsp;

The experts also said they had discussed the effectiveness of the vaccine when faced with a range of new variants of concern of the coronavirus, and in particular, the one first spotted in South Africa.

The country has decided to put off using AstraZeneca jabs in a planned vaccination programme over concerns about their efficacy against the prominent virus variant in the country.

The alarm was raised when a trial at Johannesburg's University of Witwatersrand concluded the AstraZeneca vaccine provided only "minimal" protection against mild to moderate Covid-19 caused by the variant.

That was bad news for many poorer nations counting on the greater accessibility, affordability and logistical advantages offered by the AstraZeneca shot.

But the WHO and its partners have cautioned against dismissing the vaccine, pointing to the small size and possibly problematic methodology of the South African study, insisting more data was needed.

And SAGE stressed Wednesday that the vaccine could also be used in places where "variants are present."

Cravioto stressed that "there is no reason not to recommend its use even in the countries that have the circulation of the variants".

The experts also reiterated their recommendation not to prioritise international travellers for vaccination.

"In the current period of very limited vaccine supply, preferential vaccination of international travellers would counter the principle of equity," they said.

Equitable distribution

SAGE, which advises the WHO on overall global vaccine policies and strategies, has already issued advice on the usage of the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines.

UK-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca's vaccine is currently a vital part of Covax, the system set up by WHO and others to procure Covid-19 jabs and ensure their equitable distribution around the world.

It accounts for the vast majority of the 337.2 million vaccine doses Covax is preparing to begin shipping to some 145 countries during the first half of the year, once it receives WHO authorisation.&nbsp;

The WHO is set to decide next week on whether to give the AstraZeneca vaccine emergency use authorisation for doses of the jab produced in India and South Korea.

If granted, doses from those sites could start to be distributed to some of the world's poorest countries via Covax.

WHO vaccine experts said Wednesday the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine could be used for people aged over 65, and also in settings where variants of the virus are circulating.

WHO vaccine experts said Wednesday the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine could be used for people aged over 65, and also in settings where variants of the virus are circulating. The announcement came after the vaccine has suffered several setbacks, raising questions about whether it was appropriate to use it for older people, or in places where a variant of the virus first found in South Africa is circulating. In interim recommendations on the shot, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) panel said the vaccine should be given in two doses, with an interval of around 8 to 12 weeks between the first and second doses. SAGE chief Alejandro Cravioto acknowledged that there was a lack of data on the efficacy of the vaccine for people over the age of 65, which has prompted a number of countries to recommend against its use in older people. SAGE also said that even where questions have been raised about the vaccine's efficacy against a South African variant of the coronavirus, "there is no reason not to recommend its use". Also read- Oxford/AstraZeneca jab fails to prevent coronavirus from South African strain: Study South Africa this week paused its rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine after data from a small trial showed it did not protect against mild to moderate illness from the 501Y.V2 variant of the coronavirus now dominant in the country. 'Don't prioritise international travellers' The experts also said they had discussed the effectiveness of the vaccine when faced with a range of new variants of concern of the coronavirus, and in particular, the one first spotted in South Africa. The country has decided to put off using AstraZeneca jabs in a planned vaccination programme over concerns about their efficacy against the prominent virus variant in the country. The alarm was raised when a trial at Johannesburg's University of Witwatersrand concluded the AstraZeneca vaccine provided only "minimal" protection against mild to moderate Covid-19 caused by the variant. That was bad news for many poorer nations counting on the greater accessibility, affordability and logistical advantages offered by the AstraZeneca shot. But the WHO and its partners have cautioned against dismissing the vaccine, pointing to the small size and possibly problematic methodology of the South African study, insisting more data was needed. And SAGE stressed Wednesday that the vaccine could also be used in places where "variants are present." Cravioto stressed that "there is no reason not to recommend its use even in the countries that have the circulation of the variants". The experts also reiterated their recommendation not to prioritise international travellers for vaccination. "In the current period of very limited vaccine supply, preferential vaccination of international travellers would counter the principle of equity," they said. Equitable distribution SAGE, which advises the WHO on overall global vaccine policies and strategies, has already issued advice on the usage of the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines. UK-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca's vaccine is currently a vital part of Covax, the system set up by WHO and others to procure Covid-19 jabs and ensure their equitable distribution around the world. It accounts for the vast majority of the 337.2 million vaccine doses Covax is preparing to begin shipping to some 145 countries during the first half of the year, once it receives WHO authorisation. The WHO is set to decide next week on whether to give the AstraZeneca vaccine emergency use authorisation for doses of the jab produced in India and South Korea. If granted, doses from those sites could start to be distributed to some of the world's poorest countries via Covax.

WHO expert panel says AstraZeneca Covid jabs works for over-65s and for variants

As the vaccination drive against <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/vitamin-d-reduces-coronavirus-mortality-rate-study-356111">coronavirus</a> gathers pace across the world, the World Health Organization(WHO) has warned that herd immunity will not be reached this year.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/aussie-doctor-invents-at-home-covid-19-test-356156/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said: “We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or&nbsp;herd immunity&nbsp;in 2021.” &nbsp;

"Even if happens in a couple of pockets in a few countries, it's not going to protect people across the world," she added.

Swaminathan said best practices relating to the virus should be observed which includes hand washing, social distancing and wearing masks.

The WHO scientist said it takes time to "scale the production of doses, not just in the millions, but here we are talking about in the billions" while assuring that the "<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/first-flight-of-coronavirus-vaccine-covishield-flown-to-delhi-356150">vaccines</a> are going to come. They are going to go to all countries.”

“But meanwhile we mustn’t forget that there are measures that work.”

WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward said: "Over 40 countries have now begun <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britain-steps-up-vaccinations-as-coronavirus-cases-surge-worst-weeks-still-to-come-356014">vaccinating</a> against COVID-19 using five different COVID-19 vaccines. However, all of that vaccination or virtually all of it were in high income and upper-middle-income countries so far."

"We require the cooperation of vaccine manufacturers to prioritise deliveries to the COVAX facility, we require the cooperation of our financers to see through the financing necessary, and we require the cooperation."

As the new virus variant surfaced in Tokyo, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that as the virus spreads, there is higher the chance of a new change to the virus.

"Transmissibility of some variants of the virus appears to be increasing," Tedros informed.

As the vaccination drive against coronavirus gathers pace across the world, the World Health Organization(WHO) has warned that herd immunity will not be reached this year.

As the vaccination drive against coronavirus gathers pace across the world, the World Health Organization(WHO) has warned that herd immunity will not be reached this year. Watch: WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said: “We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021.” "Even if happens in a couple of pockets in a few countries, it's not going to protect people across the world," she added. Swaminathan said best practices relating to the virus should be observed which includes hand washing, social distancing and wearing masks. The WHO scientist said it takes time to "scale the production of doses, not just in the millions, but here we are talking about in the billions" while assuring that the "vaccines are going to come. They are going to go to all countries.” “But meanwhile we mustn’t forget that there are measures that work.” WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward said: "Over 40 countries have now begun vaccinating against COVID-19 using five different COVID-19 vaccines. However, all of that vaccination or virtually all of it were in high income and upper-middle-income countries so far." "We require the cooperation of vaccine manufacturers to prioritise deliveries to the COVAX facility, we require the cooperation of our financers to see through the financing necessary, and we require the cooperation." As the new virus variant surfaced in Tokyo, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that as the virus spreads, there is higher the chance of a new change to the virus. "Transmissibility of some variants of the virus appears to be increasing," Tedros informed.

Herd immunity will not be reached in 2021 despite vaccines, says WHO's Soumya Swaminathan

The head of the World Health Organization said on Friday&nbsp;there is a "clear problem" that low- and middle-income countries are not yet receiving supplies of COVID-19 vaccines and urged countries to stop striking bilateral deals with manufacturers.

"Rich countries have the majority of the supply," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in strongly-worded comments on vaccine nationalism at a Geneva news briefing.

He asked countries and manufacturers to stop making bilateral deals and called on those who have ordered excess doses to immediately hand them over to the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-western-countries-hoard-vaccines-9-out-of-10-in-low-income-countries-to-miss-out-348585">As western countries hoard vaccines, 9 out of 10 in low-income countries to miss out</a>

While Tedros did not name countries, the European Union said it reached a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for 300 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine in a move that would give the EU nearly half of the firms' global output for 2021.

The scramble for shots has accelerated as governments also struggle to tame more infectious variants identified in Britain and South Africa, which are threatening to overwhelm healthcare systems.

Emergencies chief Mike Ryan echoed comments from Tedros, stressing the need to give doses to vulnerable groups and frontline healthcare workers first, no matter where they live.

WHO officials also urged vaccine manufacturers to provide it with data in real-time in order to expedite the rollout.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-ugly-nexus-between-pharma-companies-and-rich-countries-314742">The ugly nexus between pharma companies and rich countries</a>

Until now, wealthier nations including Britain, European Union members, the United States, Switzerland and Israel have been at the front of the queue for vaccine deliveries from companies including Pfizer and partner BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Nearly 88 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and around 1.9 million have died since it first emerged in China in December 2019, according to a Reuters tally.

"The virus is spreading at alarming rates in some countries," Tedros said. "The problem is that not complying a bit becomes a habit. Not complying gives the virus opportunities to spread."

Tedros also said he expects to fix travel dates as soon as next week for a long-awaited mission to China to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus.

Ryan urged countries to not politicised the vaccine and warned that the one distributed so far have "zero impact" on transmission dynamics.

Assistant director-general, Mariangela Simao said the WHO has received 13 "valid proposals" for possible emergency listing of COVID-19 vaccines since October, and some are at an advanced stage, adding that they expect to receive full data from Russia's Gamaleya Institute on its vaccine by the end of January.

The head of the World Health Organization said on Friday there is a "clear problem" that low- and middle-income countries are not yet receiving supplies of COVID-19 vaccines and urged countries to stop striking bilateral deals with manufacturers.

The head of the World Health Organization said on Friday there is a "clear problem" that low- and middle-income countries are not yet receiving supplies of COVID-19 vaccines and urged countries to stop striking bilateral deals with manufacturers. "Rich countries have the majority of the supply," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in strongly-worded comments on vaccine nationalism at a Geneva news briefing. He asked countries and manufacturers to stop making bilateral deals and called on those who have ordered excess doses to immediately hand them over to the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility. Also read: As western countries hoard vaccines, 9 out of 10 in low-income countries to miss out While Tedros did not name countries, the European Union said it reached a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for 300 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine in a move that would give the EU nearly half of the firms' global output for 2021. The scramble for shots has accelerated as governments also struggle to tame more infectious variants identified in Britain and South Africa, which are threatening to overwhelm healthcare systems. Emergencies chief Mike Ryan echoed comments from Tedros, stressing the need to give doses to vulnerable groups and frontline healthcare workers first, no matter where they live. WHO officials also urged vaccine manufacturers to provide it with data in real-time in order to expedite the rollout. Also read: The ugly nexus between pharma companies and rich countries Until now, wealthier nations including Britain, European Union members, the United States, Switzerland and Israel have been at the front of the queue for vaccine deliveries from companies including Pfizer and partner BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca. Nearly 88 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and around 1.9 million have died since it first emerged in China in December 2019, according to a Reuters tally. "The virus is spreading at alarming rates in some countries," Tedros said. "The problem is that not complying a bit becomes a habit. Not complying gives the virus opportunities to spread." Tedros also said he expects to fix travel dates as soon as next week for a long-awaited mission to China to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus. Ryan urged countries to not politicised the vaccine and warned that the one distributed so far have "zero impact" on transmission dynamics. Assistant director-general, Mariangela Simao said the WHO has received 13 "valid proposals" for possible emergency listing of COVID-19 vaccines since October, and some are at an advanced stage, adding that they expect to receive full data from Russia's Gamaleya Institute on its vaccine by the end of January.

World Health Organization asks rich countries to stop cutting the vaccines queue

World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that coronavirus crisis will not be the last pandemic, and attempts to improve human health is "doomed" without tackling climate change and animal welfare.

"History tells us that this will not be the last pandemic, and epidemics are a fact of life... The pandemic has highlighted the intimate links between the health of humans, animals and planet... Any efforts to improve human health are doomed unless they address the critical interface between humans and animals, and the existential threat of climate change that's making our earth less habitable," said Ghebreyesus.

In a video message marking the first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, Ghebreyesus said that it is time to learn lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. "For too long, the world has operated on a cycle of panic and neglect... We throw money at an outbreak, and when it's over, we forget about it and do nothing to prevent the next one. This is dangerously short-sighted, and frankly difficult to understand," he said.

The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board's September 2019 first annual report on global readiness for health emergencies that was released a few months before the pandemic broke out said that the planet was woefully underprepared for a potentially devastating pandemic.&nbsp;

Ghebreyesus said that the world has turned upside-down in the past 12 months. He pointed out that the impacts of the pandemic has gone far beyond the disease itself, with "far-reaching consequences for societies and economies". He added that the coronavirus pandemic should not have come as a surprise considering all the repeated warnings. "We must all learn the lessons the pandemic is teaching us," he said.&nbsp;

The WHO chief said that the countries must invest in preparedness capacities to prevent, detect and mitigate emergencies of all kinds and called for stronger primary health care provision. He said that through investments in public health countries can ensure children inherit a safer, more resilient and sustainable world.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that coronavirus crisis will not be the last pandemic, and attempts to improve human health is "doomed" without tackling climate change and animal welfare.

World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that coronavirus crisis will not be the last pandemic, and attempts to improve human health is "doomed" without tackling climate change and animal welfare. "History tells us that this will not be the last pandemic, and epidemics are a fact of life... The pandemic has highlighted the intimate links between the health of humans, animals and planet... Any efforts to improve human health are doomed unless they address the critical interface between humans and animals, and the existential threat of climate change that's making our earth less habitable," said Ghebreyesus. In a video message marking the first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, Ghebreyesus said that it is time to learn lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. "For too long, the world has operated on a cycle of panic and neglect... We throw money at an outbreak, and when it's over, we forget about it and do nothing to prevent the next one. This is dangerously short-sighted, and frankly difficult to understand," he said. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board's September 2019 first annual report on global readiness for health emergencies that was released a few months before the pandemic broke out said that the planet was woefully underprepared for a potentially devastating pandemic. Ghebreyesus said that the world has turned upside-down in the past 12 months. He pointed out that the impacts of the pandemic has gone far beyond the disease itself, with "far-reaching consequences for societies and economies". He added that the coronavirus pandemic should not have come as a surprise considering all the repeated warnings. "We must all learn the lessons the pandemic is teaching us," he said. The WHO chief said that the countries must invest in preparedness capacities to prevent, detect and mitigate emergencies of all kinds and called for stronger primary health care provision. He said that through investments in public health countries can ensure children inherit a safer, more resilient and sustainable world. (With inputs from agencies)

History tells us this won't be last pandemic, says WHO chief on coronavirus

The year of the pandemic has been tough and many people have sacrificed their time with family and friends to&nbsp;cater to the medical, mental and physical emergencies.

Now, as the holiday season has arrived,&nbsp;the World Health Organization (WHO) chief is requesting people not to let the sacrifices of&nbsp;the frontline workers go to waste.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-uk-south-africa-another-coronavirus-variant-emerges-in-nigeria-352189">After UK, South Africa, another coronavirus variant emerges in Nigeria</a>

The WHO chief&nbsp;Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to Twitter to share a video-recorded Christmas message urging g people to stay safe by staying apart. "&nbsp;wish everyone a safe and restful holiday season. This year by staying apart to stay safe from #COVID19, we can all give the most important gifts of all: the gifts of life and health. #InThisTogether," he tweeted.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I wish everyone a safe and restful holiday season. This year by staying apart to stay safe from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a>, we can all give the most important gifts of all: the gifts of life and health. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InThisTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InThisTogether</a><a href="https://t.co/HlNobGujwg">pic.twitter.com/HlNobGujwg</a>
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1342160805450674180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"As 2020 draws to an end, a pandemic of historic proportions is preventing many of us from celebrating in the ways we would like," Tedros said in the message.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-impose-covid-19-screening-requirement-for-uk-flights-352207">US to impose COVID-19 screening requirement for UK flights</a>

Talking about the "heart-wrenching sacrifices" being made by the frontline workers, Tedros reminded the general public that these experts and workers "in doing so, they are giving the most precious gifts: the gifts of life and health."

He also talked about how the vaccines are now giving a ray of hope for the world, but also urged people to exercise caution to not let the sacrifices of the people who lost their loved ones in this pandemic go to waste.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ireland-approves-use-of-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-rollout-to-begin-on-dec-30-352300" hreflang="en">Ireland approves use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, rollout to begin on Dec 30</a>

"We must not squander their sacrifices, nor those made by so many families who, this holiday season, will sit at family tables missing a familiar face.

"Despite so much loss, we have built so much hope. Vaccines are offering the world a way out of this tragedy. But it will take time for the whole world to be vaccinated."

His message has come at a point when several countries are finding new variants of the novel coronavirus, such as the UK, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Nigeria and Ireland.

The year of the pandemic has been tough and many people have sacrificed their time with family and friends to cater to the medical, mental and physical emergencies.

The year of the pandemic has been tough and many people have sacrificed their time with family and friends to cater to the medical, mental and physical emergencies. Now, as the holiday season has arrived, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief is requesting people not to let the sacrifices of the frontline workers go to waste. Also read| After UK, South Africa, another coronavirus variant emerges in Nigeria The WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to Twitter to share a video-recorded Christmas message urging g people to stay safe by staying apart. " wish everyone a safe and restful holiday season. This year by staying apart to stay safe from #COVID19, we can all give the most important gifts of all: the gifts of life and health. #InThisTogether," he tweeted. I wish everyone a safe and restful holiday season. This year by staying apart to stay safe from #COVID19, we can all give the most important gifts of all: the gifts of life and health. #InThisTogetherpic.twitter.com/HlNobGujwg — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 24, 2020 × "As 2020 draws to an end, a pandemic of historic proportions is preventing many of us from celebrating in the ways we would like," Tedros said in the message. Also read| US to impose COVID-19 screening requirement for UK flights Talking about the "heart-wrenching sacrifices" being made by the frontline workers, Tedros reminded the general public that these experts and workers "in doing so, they are giving the most precious gifts: the gifts of life and health." He also talked about how the vaccines are now giving a ray of hope for the world, but also urged people to exercise caution to not let the sacrifices of the people who lost their loved ones in this pandemic go to waste. Also read| Ireland approves use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, rollout to begin on Dec 30 "We must not squander their sacrifices, nor those made by so many families who, this holiday season, will sit at family tables missing a familiar face. "Despite so much loss, we have built so much hope. Vaccines are offering the world a way out of this tragedy. But it will take time for the whole world to be vaccinated." His message has come at a point when several countries are finding new variants of the novel coronavirus, such as the UK, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Nigeria and Ireland.

'We will sit at family tables missing a familiar face: WHO chief Tedros shares Christmas message

As the World Health Organization(WHO) cautioned against relying too much on vaccines, the chief of the UN health body <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-chief-tedros-to-take-covid-19-vaccine-on-camera-347722">Tedros</a> Adhanom Ghebreyesus&nbsp;said: "COVID-19 has shown what humanity is capable of at its best and worst."

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/uk-eu-spar-over-best-vaccine-regulator-347779/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Tedros said the virus has shown "inspiring acts of compassion &amp; self-sacrifice, breathtaking feats of science and innovation, heart-warming demonstrations of solidarity but also disturbing signs of self-interest, blame-shifting &amp; division."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> has shown what humanity is capable of at its best &amp; worst: 
Inspiring acts of compassion &amp; self-sacrifice 
Breathtaking feats of science &amp; innovation 
Heart-warming demonstrations of solidarity 
But also disturbing signs of self-interest, blame-shifting &amp; division<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNGASS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNGASS</a>
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1335157157776461825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan had said earlier that "vaccines do not equal zero Covid" warning against treating it as a silver bullet.

"Vaccination will add a major, major, powerful tool to the tool kit that we have. But by themselves, they will not do the job," Ryan said while Tedros asserted that there was was "growing perception that the pandemic is over".

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-suggests-e-certificates-for-covid-19-vaccine-receivers-347445">WHO</a> said 51 candidate vaccines were currently being tested on humans, with 13 reaching final-stage mass testing.&nbsp;

Tedros had said earlier that would be happy to have a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-vaccines-do-not-mean-pandemic-is-over-who-347583">coronavirus</a> vaccine, however, he said "I need to make sure it's my turn. I don't want to take anybody's vaccine."

Tedros applauded US president-elect Joe Biden and ex-US presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton who have volunteered the take the jabs to ensure public trust for the vaccine.

"It's a good idea... I think it's very good that they already have shown their commitment. They can influence," he said, adding,"they are influencers."

As the World Health Organization(WHO) cautioned against relying too much on vaccines, the chief of the UN health body Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "COVID-19 has shown what humanity is capable of at its best and worst.

As the World Health Organization(WHO) cautioned against relying too much on vaccines, the chief of the UN health body Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "COVID-19 has shown what humanity is capable of at its best and worst." Watch: Tedros said the virus has shown "inspiring acts of compassion & self-sacrifice, breathtaking feats of science and innovation, heart-warming demonstrations of solidarity but also disturbing signs of self-interest, blame-shifting & division." #COVID19 has shown what humanity is capable of at its best & worst: Inspiring acts of compassion & self-sacrifice Breathtaking feats of science & innovation Heart-warming demonstrations of solidarity But also disturbing signs of self-interest, blame-shifting & division#UNGASS — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 5, 2020 × WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan had said earlier that "vaccines do not equal zero Covid" warning against treating it as a silver bullet. "Vaccination will add a major, major, powerful tool to the tool kit that we have. But by themselves, they will not do the job," Ryan said while Tedros asserted that there was was "growing perception that the pandemic is over". The WHO said 51 candidate vaccines were currently being tested on humans, with 13 reaching final-stage mass testing. Tedros had said earlier that would be happy to have a coronavirus vaccine, however, he said "I need to make sure it's my turn. I don't want to take anybody's vaccine." Tedros applauded US president-elect Joe Biden and ex-US presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton who have volunteered the take the jabs to ensure public trust for the vaccine. "It's a good idea... I think it's very good that they already have shown their commitment. They can influence," he said, adding,"they are influencers."

COVID-19 has shown disturbing signs of self-interest, blame-shifting & division: WHO chief Tedros

The roll-out of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccines</a> to fight the pandemic will not by itself eliminate the deadly coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.

The WHO warned against complacency and what it said was an erroneous belief that because vaccines are on the near-horizon, the crisis is over.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/your-story-who-considers-e-vaccination-certificates-for-international-travel-347567/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Progress on vaccines gives us all a lift and we can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, WHO is concerned that there is a growing perception that the COVID-19 pandemic is over," he said.

Tedros said the pandemic still had a long way to run and that decisions made by citizens and governments would determine its course in the short run and when the pandemic would ultimately end.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-uk-bahrain-approves-pfizerbiontech-coronavirus-vaccine-347576">After UK, Bahrain approves Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine</a>

"We know it's been a hard year and people are tired, but in hospitals that are running at or over capacity it's the hardest it can possibly be," he said.

"The truth is that at present, many places are witnessing very high transmission of the COVID-19 virus, which is putting enormous pressure on hospitals, intensive care units and&nbsp;health&nbsp;workers."

Britain approved Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, jumping ahead of the rest of the&nbsp;world&nbsp;in the race to begin mass inoculations.

The move raised hopes that the tide could soon turn against a virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million people globally, hammered the&nbsp;world&nbsp;economy and upended normal life for billions since it emerged in Wuhan, China, a year ago.

According to the WHO's overview of candidate vaccines, 51 are currently being tested on humans, 13 of which have reached final-stage mass testing.

A further 163 candidate vaccines are being developed in laboratories with a view to eventual human trials.

The roll-out of coronavirus vaccines to fight the pandemic will not by itself eliminate the deadly coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.

The roll-out of coronavirus vaccines to fight the pandemic will not by itself eliminate the deadly coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday. The WHO warned against complacency and what it said was an erroneous belief that because vaccines are on the near-horizon, the crisis is over. "Progress on vaccines gives us all a lift and we can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, WHO is concerned that there is a growing perception that the COVID-19 pandemic is over," he said. Tedros said the pandemic still had a long way to run and that decisions made by citizens and governments would determine its course in the short run and when the pandemic would ultimately end. Also read: After UK, Bahrain approves Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine "We know it's been a hard year and people are tired, but in hospitals that are running at or over capacity it's the hardest it can possibly be," he said. "The truth is that at present, many places are witnessing very high transmission of the COVID-19 virus, which is putting enormous pressure on hospitals, intensive care units and health workers." Britain approved Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, jumping ahead of the rest of the world in the race to begin mass inoculations. The move raised hopes that the tide could soon turn against a virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million people globally, hammered the world economy and upended normal life for billions since it emerged in Wuhan, China, a year ago. According to the WHO's overview of candidate vaccines, 51 are currently being tested on humans, 13 of which have reached final-stage mass testing. A further 163 candidate vaccines are being developed in laboratories with a view to eventual human trials.

Coronavirus vaccines do not mean pandemic is over: WHO

The World Health Organization does not believe there will be enough quantities of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccines</a> in the next three to six months to prevent a surge of infections, its top emergency expert said on Wednesday.

"We are not going to have sufficient vaccinations in place to prevent a surge in cases for three to six months," Mike Ryan told a social media event, calling on people to maintain social distancing and respect other measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19.

The&nbsp;World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization&nbsp;(WHO) has identified 49 "candidate vaccines" at the stage of clinical trials in humans by mid-November, up from 11 in mid-June.

WHO had received data from Pfizer and BioNTech on the COVID-19 vaccine and was reviewing it for "possible listing for emergency use", a benchmark for countries to authorise national use.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-uk-becomes-first-country-to-approve-a-covid-19-vaccine-347007/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Referring to Britain's regulator, the Medicines and&nbsp;Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said in a statement: "WHO is also in discussions with MHRA on the possibility of accessing some of the information from their assessment, which could expedite WHO’s emergency listing".

Britain approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, jumping ahead of the United States and Europe to become the West's first country to formally endorse a shot it said should reach the most vulnerable people early next week.

Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergency expert, welcomed the news, adding: "We shouldn't stop, we need more than 3-4 vaccines.''

"We need to increase production, we need to pull the price down," he told a social media event. "We need a one-dose vaccine."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/your-story-after-uk-russia-to-begin-mass-covid-19-vaccination-347003/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

WHO recommended wearing facemasks when indoors with other people, if the ventilation has been deemed inadequate, in an update to its Covid-19 guidance on masks.

The new recommendations apply in areas of known or suspected cluster or community transmission of the new coronavirus.

In June, the WHO urged governments to ask everyone to wear fabric masks in indoor and outdoor public areas where there was a risk of transmission of the virus.

Since then, a second global wave of the epidemic has gathered pace. In all, more than 63 million people globally have caught COVID-19 and 1.475 million died of it.

Dozens of companies, from biotech start-ups to Big Pharma, are in the race to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, both to meet urgent medical need and for the potential payday.

The World Health Organization does not believe there will be enough quantities of coronavirus vaccines in the next three to six months to prevent a surge of infections, its top emergency expert said on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization does not believe there will be enough quantities of coronavirus vaccines in the next three to six months to prevent a surge of infections, its top emergency expert said on Wednesday. "We are not going to have sufficient vaccinations in place to prevent a surge in cases for three to six months," Mike Ryan told a social media event, calling on people to maintain social distancing and respect other measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 49 "candidate vaccines" at the stage of clinical trials in humans by mid-November, up from 11 in mid-June. WHO had received data from Pfizer and BioNTech on the COVID-19 vaccine and was reviewing it for "possible listing for emergency use", a benchmark for countries to authorise national use. Referring to Britain's regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said in a statement: "WHO is also in discussions with MHRA on the possibility of accessing some of the information from their assessment, which could expedite WHO’s emergency listing". Britain approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, jumping ahead of the United States and Europe to become the West's first country to formally endorse a shot it said should reach the most vulnerable people early next week. Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergency expert, welcomed the news, adding: "We shouldn't stop, we need more than 3-4 vaccines.'' "We need to increase production, we need to pull the price down," he told a social media event. "We need a one-dose vaccine." WHO recommended wearing facemasks when indoors with other people, if the ventilation has been deemed inadequate, in an update to its Covid-19 guidance on masks. The new recommendations apply in areas of known or suspected cluster or community transmission of the new coronavirus. In June, the WHO urged governments to ask everyone to wear fabric masks in indoor and outdoor public areas where there was a risk of transmission of the virus. Since then, a second global wave of the epidemic has gathered pace. In all, more than 63 million people globally have caught COVID-19 and 1.475 million died of it. Dozens of companies, from biotech start-ups to Big Pharma, are in the race to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, both to meet urgent medical need and for the potential payday.

Vaccines insufficient to prevent surge in coronavirus for next six months: WHO

World Health Organization's chief&nbsp;Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that it&nbsp;''will do everything'' to discover the origin of coronavirus.

Voicing&nbsp;deep concern Monday over a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths in Brazil in recent weeks, he said its condition&nbsp;"is very, very worrisome."

"I think Brazil has to be very, very serious," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, after fresh cases in the country jumped from around 10,000 per day in early November to more than 50,000, and as the daily death rate shot up nearly ninefold in a week.&nbsp;

Earlier,&nbsp;WHO's top emergency expert said it would be "highly speculative" for the WHO to say the&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;did not emerge in China, where it was first identified in a food market in December last year.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-scientists-now-claim-coronavirus-originated-in-india-in-summer-2019-346039">Chinese scientists now claim coronavirus originated in India in summer 2019</a>

The WHO has for months been working to send a team of international experts, including epidemiologists and animal health specialists, to China to help probe the animal&nbsp;origin&nbsp;of the novel&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;pandemic and how the virus first crossed over to humans.

The UN health agency sent an advance team to Beijing in July to lay the groundwork for the international probe, but it has remained unclear when the larger team of scientists would be able to travel to China to begin epidemiological studies to try to identify the first human cases and their source of infection.

Scientists believed the killer virus jumped from animals to humans at a market selling exotic animals for meat in the city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected late last year.

China is pushing a narrative via state media that the virus existed abroad before it was discovered in the central city of Wuhan, citing the presence of&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;on imported frozen food packaging and scientific papers claiming it had been circulating in Europe last year.

At the briefing in Geneva, WHO also called for countries to remain vigilant even if they see a fall in&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;cases.

It is widely assumed that the virus originally came from bats, but the intermediate animal host that transmitted it between bats and humans remains unknown.

Late last month, the WHO said the team of 10 international experts it has set up had held their first meeting with their Chinese counterparts, albeit virtually.

World Health Organization's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that it ''will do everything'' to discover the origin of coronavirus. Voicing deep concern Monday over a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths in Brazil in recent weeks, he said its condition "is very, very worrisome.

World Health Organization's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that it ''will do everything'' to discover the origin of coronavirus. Voicing deep concern Monday over a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths in Brazil in recent weeks, he said its condition "is very, very worrisome." "I think Brazil has to be very, very serious," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, after fresh cases in the country jumped from around 10,000 per day in early November to more than 50,000, and as the daily death rate shot up nearly ninefold in a week. Earlier, WHO's top emergency expert said it would be "highly speculative" for the WHO to say the coronavirus did not emerge in China, where it was first identified in a food market in December last year. Also read: Chinese scientists now claim coronavirus originated in India in summer 2019 The WHO has for months been working to send a team of international experts, including epidemiologists and animal health specialists, to China to help probe the animal origin of the novel coronavirus pandemic and how the virus first crossed over to humans. The UN health agency sent an advance team to Beijing in July to lay the groundwork for the international probe, but it has remained unclear when the larger team of scientists would be able to travel to China to begin epidemiological studies to try to identify the first human cases and their source of infection. Scientists believed the killer virus jumped from animals to humans at a market selling exotic animals for meat in the city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected late last year. China is pushing a narrative via state media that the virus existed abroad before it was discovered in the central city of Wuhan, citing the presence of coronavirus on imported frozen food packaging and scientific papers claiming it had been circulating in Europe last year. At the briefing in Geneva, WHO also called for countries to remain vigilant even if they see a fall in coronavirus cases. It is widely assumed that the virus originally came from bats, but the intermediate animal host that transmitted it between bats and humans remains unknown. Late last month, the WHO said the team of 10 international experts it has set up had held their first meeting with their Chinese counterparts, albeit virtually.

'Will do everything' to discover origin of COVID-19, says WHO

Ethiopian army on Thursday accused World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of supporting dissidents in Tigray region. Ethiopian army is currently engaged in an armed conflict with country's Tigray region. The military even accused Dr Tedros of supporting and trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for Tigray's dominant political party.

"This man is a member of that group," army chief of staff General Birhanu Jula said in a televised statement.

"What do you expect from him when his group and his like are entered into the war?" Birhanu said, calling Tedros a criminal who should be stripped of his WHO post. He was quoted by Reuters.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-ethiopias-military-chief-calls-dr-tedros-a-criminal-supporting-a-rebel-region-344197/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

An Ethiopian of Tigrayan descent, Tedros served as Ethiopia's health minister and foreign minister from 2005-2016 in a government coalition led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF effectively ruled the country for decades as the strongest force in the coalition, until Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy took office two years ago.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ethiopia-says-its-troops-marching-on-tigrayan-capital-343897">Ethiopia says its troops marching on Tigrayan capital</a> 
 
"We don't expect him to stand on the side of Ethiopians and condemn these people. He has been doing everything to support them, he has campaigned for neighbouring countries to condemn the war."

Birhanu did not give further specific details of his allegations against Tedros.

Tedros, 55, was elected in May 2017 as the WHO's first African director-general, and has come to global prominence as head of the health body during the COVID-19 pandemic.

General Jula did not give specific details to back his allegations against Dr Tedros.

There was no immediate comment from the WHO.

(With Reuters inputs)

Ethiopian army on Thursday accused World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of supporting dissidents in Tigray region. Ethiopian army is currently engaged in an armed conflict with country's Tigray region.

Ethiopian army on Thursday accused World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of supporting dissidents in Tigray region. Ethiopian army is currently engaged in an armed conflict with country's Tigray region. The military even accused Dr Tedros of supporting and trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for Tigray's dominant political party. "This man is a member of that group," army chief of staff General Birhanu Jula said in a televised statement. "What do you expect from him when his group and his like are entered into the war?" Birhanu said, calling Tedros a criminal who should be stripped of his WHO post. He was quoted by Reuters. × An Ethiopian of Tigrayan descent, Tedros served as Ethiopia's health minister and foreign minister from 2005-2016 in a government coalition led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF effectively ruled the country for decades as the strongest force in the coalition, until Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy took office two years ago. Also Read | Ethiopia says its troops marching on Tigrayan capital "We don't expect him to stand on the side of Ethiopians and condemn these people. He has been doing everything to support them, he has campaigned for neighbouring countries to condemn the war." Birhanu did not give further specific details of his allegations against Tedros. Tedros, 55, was elected in May 2017 as the WHO's first African director-general, and has come to global prominence as head of the health body during the COVID-19 pandemic. General Jula did not give specific details to back his allegations against Dr Tedros. There was no immediate comment from the WHO. (With Reuters inputs)

Ethiopia accuses WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of supporting Tigray region

JuD chief Hafiz Saeed sentenced to over 10 years in jail in terror funding cases

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/jud-chief-hafiz-saeed-sentenced-to-over-10-years-in-jail-in-terror-funding-cases-344074">https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/jud-chief-hafiz-saeed-sentenced-to-over-10-years-in-jail-in-terror-funding-cases-344074</a>

<img alt="Saeed" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0a7166da-8b6e-4ae5-8b05-8167f736e81b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Hafiz%20Saeed.JPG" />

The anti-terror court in Lahore ordered the confiscation of all properties of Hafiz Saeed. It is the fourth conviction of Hafiz Saeed this year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pompeo-says-us-to-label-exports-from-west-bank-settlements-as-made-in-israel-344096">Pompeo says US to label exports from West Bank settlements as 'Made in Israel'</a>

<img alt="Pompeo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="315dba1a-8171-4575-939f-cd7d05ea651d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pompeo_0.JPG" />

Pompeo’s predecessors as secretary of state have only visited the West Bank under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority, but never in a settlement, because they held Israel’s presence there to be illegitimate

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ethiopia-accuses-who-chief-dr-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-of-supporting-tigray-region-344085">Ethiopia accuses WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of supporting Tigray region</a>

<img alt="WHO" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8b7d930b-f702-4644-a74e-6574a94903ae" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/WHO.JPG" />

An Ethiopian of Tigrayan descent, Dr Tedros served as Ethiopia's health minister and foreign minister from 2005-2016 in a government coalition led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF)

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-asks-judge-to-declare-him-winner-in-pennsylvania-344151">Donald Trump asks judge to declare him winner in Pennsylvania</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-asks-judge-to-declare-him-winner-in-pennsylvania-344151"><img alt="Trump" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="de71b25c-6188-44ce-aa87-78aa0a79aa85" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Trump_6.JPG" /></a> 
 
Republican Trump's campaign has filed a flurry of lawsuits in a long-shot bid to reverse the election

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/irans-revolutionary-guard-corps-unleashes-new-warship-with-drones-helicopters-onboard-344150">Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps unleashes new warship with drones, helicopters onboard</a>

<img alt="Iran" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0c004af4-2484-4c1b-825b-a8e33df7c41b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Iran_1.JPG" />

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps unveiled a warship named after slain Naval commander Abdollah Roudaki, sailing through the waters in the Gulf

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-safe-for-older-adults-results-show-344093">Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine safe for older adults, results show</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-safe-for-older-adults-results-show-344093"><img alt="Vaccine" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b7fee2bb-2cb4-4d80-9a14-dbadf06742d0" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/vaccine.JPG" /></a> 
 
The phase 2 trial of Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine involved 560 participants out of which 240 were over 70 and researchers said that responses were "similar" across all age groups.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/five-eyes-or-ten-eyes-they-should-be-careful-not-to-get-their-eyes-poked-out-china-on-hong-kong-row-344107">Five eyes or ten eyes, they should be careful not to get their eyes poked out: China on Hong Kong row</a>

<img alt="China" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5acf87d5-c44b-49fc-add9-4d2a1b433ae8" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/China_3.JPG" />

China had promised to rule Hong Kong under the "One Country, Two Systems" model, however, after last year's anti-government demonstrations and the imposition of national security law in June, Hong Kong citizens were placed under new stricter restrictions directly controlled by Beijing.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/man-becomes-millionaire-overnight-after-meteorite-crashes-in-his-house-344108">Man becomes millionaire overnight after meteorite crashes in his house</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/man-becomes-millionaire-overnight-after-meteorite-crashes-in-his-house-344108"><img alt="Meteorite" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9c8d0c33-2276-4075-9788-e61a7380bb45" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/meteorite.JPG" /></a> 
 
The meteorite fetched the man 30 years' worth of his salary

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/denmark-says-mutated-coronavirus-from-mink-farms-most-likely-eradicated-344112">Denmark says mutated coronavirus from mink farms 'most likely eradicated'</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/denmark-says-mutated-coronavirus-from-mink-farms-most-likely-eradicated-344112"><img alt="Denmark" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f8c1206c-5402-4e20-8a02-576eef71f510" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Denmark.JPG" /></a> 
 
The Danish government said most of the strict restrictions it had imposed on November 5 on seven municipalities in the North Jutland region, home to 280,000 people, would be lifted on Friday

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/swedish-prosecution-says-quran-burning-not-illegal-decides-not-to-press-charges-344065">Swedish prosecution says Quran burning not 'illegal', decides not to press charges</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/swedish-prosecution-says-quran-burning-not-illegal-decides-not-to-press-charges-344065"><img alt="Quran" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cafe3127-9afd-4141-9897-4e59e60867d2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/quran.JPG" /></a> 
The case is related to a protest on the streets of Malmo where far-right demonstrators burned a copy of the Quran in late August

JuD chief Hafiz Saeed sentenced to over 10 years in jail in terror funding cases https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/jud-chief-hafiz-saeed-sentenced-to-over-10-years-in-jail-in-terror-funding-cases-344074 The anti-terror court in Lahore ordered the confiscation of all properties of Hafiz Saeed.

JuD chief Hafiz Saeed sentenced to over 10 years in jail in terror funding cases https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/jud-chief-hafiz-saeed-sentenced-to-over-10-years-in-jail-in-terror-funding-cases-344074 The anti-terror court in Lahore ordered the confiscation of all properties of Hafiz Saeed. It is the fourth conviction of Hafiz Saeed this year. Pompeo says US to label exports from West Bank settlements as 'Made in Israel' Pompeo’s predecessors as secretary of state have only visited the West Bank under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority, but never in a settlement, because they held Israel’s presence there to be illegitimate Ethiopia accuses WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of supporting Tigray region An Ethiopian of Tigrayan descent, Dr Tedros served as Ethiopia's health minister and foreign minister from 2005-2016 in a government coalition led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) Donald Trump asks judge to declare him winner in Pennsylvania Republican Trump's campaign has filed a flurry of lawsuits in a long-shot bid to reverse the election Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps unleashes new warship with drones, helicopters onboard Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps unveiled a warship named after slain Naval commander Abdollah Roudaki, sailing through the waters in the Gulf Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine safe for older adults, results show The phase 2 trial of Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine involved 560 participants out of which 240 were over 70 and researchers said that responses were "similar" across all age groups. Five eyes or ten eyes, they should be careful not to get their eyes poked out: China on Hong Kong row China had promised to rule Hong Kong under the "One Country, Two Systems" model, however, after last year's anti-government demonstrations and the imposition of national security law in June, Hong Kong citizens were placed under new stricter restrictions directly controlled by Beijing. Man becomes millionaire overnight after meteorite crashes in his house The meteorite fetched the man 30 years' worth of his salary Denmark says mutated coronavirus from mink farms 'most likely eradicated' The Danish government said most of the strict restrictions it had imposed on November 5 on seven municipalities in the North Jutland region, home to 280,000 people, would be lifted on Friday Swedish prosecution says Quran burning not 'illegal', decides not to press charges The case is related to a protest on the streets of Malmo where far-right demonstrators burned a copy of the Quran in late August

Top 10 world news: Hafiz Saeed fresh sentence, Ethiopia accuses WHO chief, and more

The World Health Organization has recorded 65 instances of the Covid among staff based at its central command, including five individuals who took a shot at the premises and were in contact with each other,&nbsp;a leaked internal email shows.

The UN wellbeing organization said it is researching how and where the five individuals got tainted — and that it has not decided if transmission occurred at its workplaces. WHO's affirmation Monday of the figures in the email got by The Associated Press was the first occasion when it has openly given such a check.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-vaccine-news-encouraging-but-no-time-for-complacency-who-chief-343570" hreflang="en">Covid-19 vaccine news 'encouraging', but no time for 'complacency': WHO chief</a>

"As far as anyone is concerned, the bunch being examined is the main proof of possible transmission on the site of WHO," Dr Michael Ryan, the office's head of crises, told a public interview at the WHO on Monday.

The revelation comes amid a surge of cases in Europe, host country Switzerland, and the city of Geneva, in particular, and the email said about half of the infections were in people who had been working from home.

But 32 were in staff who had been working on-premises at the headquarters building, indicating that the health agency's strict hygiene, screening, and other prevention measures were not sufficient to spare it from the pandemic.

Raul Thomas, who heads business operations at WHO, emailed staff on Friday noting that five people,&nbsp;four on the same team and one who had contact with them? had tested positive for COVID-19. While the email did not use the term ''cluster,''&nbsp;one is generally defined as two or more cases in the same area and the five cases indicate basic infection control and social distancing procedures were likely being broken.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-is-who-headquarters-a-covid-19-cluster-343779/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

A previous email he sent on October 16 indicated that no clusters had been found at the site.

''As per standard protocols, these colleagues are receiving the necessary medical attention and are recovering at home,''&nbsp;the email Friday said.

''These last five cases bring the total reported number of affected members of the Geneva based workforce to 65 since the beginning of the pandemic.''&nbsp;Farah Dakhlallah, a WHO spokeswoman, confirmed the accuracy of the information about the case count in an email to the AP.

Thomas' email did not specify who was infected, but a WHO staffer with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the press said the cluster included a member of the WHO director-general's leadership team who is also an infection control specialist.

The senior manager reportedly held several in-person meetings at WHO in early November before testing positive last week. 
The person, contacted by the AP, referred all comments to the WHO media office.

According to the email, 49 of the overall cases had occurred in the last eight weeks, thus very much in line with the situation being reported in Geneva and the surrounding areas.&nbsp;He added that ''a higher number of cases among those who telework might have gone unreported.''

Enhanced measures to ''reduce our risk profile''&nbsp;were being considered, the email said.

''Finally, members of the workforce are reminded that physical meetings, including gatherings in common areas or in the cafeteria, are strongly discouraged and should only take place where absolutely necessary,''&nbsp;it added.

Elsewhere in Geneva, restaurants are among many public venues that have been closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 
Last month, Thomas told WHO staffers the agency was restricting access to its Geneva headquarters to critical staffers, including senior directors, their assistants and management officers.

''All members for the workforce are reminded to always keep proper hand hygiene, respect physical distancing standards (at least one meter) and wear masks, when distancing is not possible,''&nbsp;he wrote.&nbsp;

The World Health Organization has recorded 65 instances of the Covid among staff based at its central command, including five individuals who took a shot at the premises and were in contact with each other, a leaked internal email shows.

The World Health Organization has recorded 65 instances of the Covid among staff based at its central command, including five individuals who took a shot at the premises and were in contact with each other, a leaked internal email shows. The UN wellbeing organization said it is researching how and where the five individuals got tainted — and that it has not decided if transmission occurred at its workplaces. WHO's affirmation Monday of the figures in the email got by The Associated Press was the first occasion when it has openly given such a check. Also read: Covid-19 vaccine news 'encouraging', but no time for 'complacency': WHO chief "As far as anyone is concerned, the bunch being examined is the main proof of possible transmission on the site of WHO," Dr Michael Ryan, the office's head of crises, told a public interview at the WHO on Monday. The revelation comes amid a surge of cases in Europe, host country Switzerland, and the city of Geneva, in particular, and the email said about half of the infections were in people who had been working from home. But 32 were in staff who had been working on-premises at the headquarters building, indicating that the health agency's strict hygiene, screening, and other prevention measures were not sufficient to spare it from the pandemic. Raul Thomas, who heads business operations at WHO, emailed staff on Friday noting that five people, four on the same team and one who had contact with them? had tested positive for COVID-19. While the email did not use the term ''cluster,'' one is generally defined as two or more cases in the same area and the five cases indicate basic infection control and social distancing procedures were likely being broken. × A previous email he sent on October 16 indicated that no clusters had been found at the site. ''As per standard protocols, these colleagues are receiving the necessary medical attention and are recovering at home,'' the email Friday said. ''These last five cases bring the total reported number of affected members of the Geneva based workforce to 65 since the beginning of the pandemic.'' Farah Dakhlallah, a WHO spokeswoman, confirmed the accuracy of the information about the case count in an email to the AP. Thomas' email did not specify who was infected, but a WHO staffer with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the press said the cluster included a member of the WHO director-general's leadership team who is also an infection control specialist. The senior manager reportedly held several in-person meetings at WHO in early November before testing positive last week. The person, contacted by the AP, referred all comments to the WHO media office. According to the email, 49 of the overall cases had occurred in the last eight weeks, thus very much in line with the situation being reported in Geneva and the surrounding areas. He added that ''a higher number of cases among those who telework might have gone unreported.'' Enhanced measures to ''reduce our risk profile'' were being considered, the email said. ''Finally, members of the workforce are reminded that physical meetings, including gatherings in common areas or in the cafeteria, are strongly discouraged and should only take place where absolutely necessary,'' it added. Elsewhere in Geneva, restaurants are among many public venues that have been closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Last month, Thomas told WHO staffers the agency was restricting access to its Geneva headquarters to critical staffers, including senior directors, their assistants and management officers. ''All members for the workforce are reminded to always keep proper hand hygiene, respect physical distancing standards (at least one meter) and wear masks, when distancing is not possible,'' he wrote.

COVID-19 'cluster' found at World Health Organization's headquarter

As the coronavirus cases across the world continue to rise, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-censors-taiwan-under-a-live-stream-of-its-press-conference-342571">World Health Organization</a>(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today that the UN health body is encouraged by "preliminary results of clinical trials released this week."

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/countries-queue-for-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-342960/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The WHO chief was referring to<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-signs-deal-with-pfizer-for-potential-covid-19-vaccine-342970"> Pfizer</a> and BioNTech who had announced their vaccine had proved 90 per cent effective in final phase trials involving over 40,000 people.

"Never in history has vaccine research progressed so quickly. We must apply the same urgency and innovation to ensure that all countries benefit from this scientific achievement," Tedros said, adding," I urge all countries to follow Thailand’s lead. No country can say it was well-enough prepared for COVID-19, or that it has no lessons to learn."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"Never in history has vaccine research progressed so quickly. We must apply the same urgency and innovation to ensuring that all countries benefit from this scientific achievement"-<a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrTedros</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ACTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ACTogether</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WHA73?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WHA73</a>
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1327203635315535872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Pfizer's potential <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-times-of-coronavirus-this-place-is-witnessing-overtourism-342963">coronavirus v</a>accine is likely to be a two-dose treatment as the world impatiently awaits a cure for the virus which has already killed over 1.3 million people while infected over 52 million worldwide.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"There is no doubt that a vaccine will be a vital tool for controlling the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> pandemic, and we’re encouraged by the preliminary results of clinical trials released this week"-<a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrTedros</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ACTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ACTogether</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WHA73?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WHA73</a>
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1327203633910394883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"But we have a long way to go. The world cannot put all its eggs in one basket, and neglect the many other tools at our disposal that countries like Thailand have shown are effective for bringing this virus under control," the WHO chief asserted.

"The virus itself has not changed significantly, and nor have the measures needed to stop it."

However, Tedros reiterated that the World Health Assembly has at times been used for "political purposes that divide, rather than to focus on shared health challenges".

"The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown that there is an urgent need for a globally agreed system for sharing pathogen materials and clinical samples, to facilitate the rapid development of medical countermeasures as global public goods," Tedros asserted.

As the coronavirus cases across the world continue to rise, World Health Organization(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today that the UN health body is encouraged by "preliminary results of clinical trials released this week.

As the coronavirus cases across the world continue to rise, World Health Organization(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today that the UN health body is encouraged by "preliminary results of clinical trials released this week." Watch: The WHO chief was referring to Pfizer and BioNTech who had announced their vaccine had proved 90 per cent effective in final phase trials involving over 40,000 people. "Never in history has vaccine research progressed so quickly. We must apply the same urgency and innovation to ensure that all countries benefit from this scientific achievement," Tedros said, adding," I urge all countries to follow Thailand’s lead. No country can say it was well-enough prepared for COVID-19, or that it has no lessons to learn." "Never in history has vaccine research progressed so quickly. We must apply the same urgency and innovation to ensuring that all countries benefit from this scientific achievement"-@DrTedros #ACTogether #WHA73 — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 13, 2020 × Pfizer's potential coronavirus vaccine is likely to be a two-dose treatment as the world impatiently awaits a cure for the virus which has already killed over 1.3 million people while infected over 52 million worldwide. "There is no doubt that a vaccine will be a vital tool for controlling the #COVID19 pandemic, and we’re encouraged by the preliminary results of clinical trials released this week"-@DrTedros #ACTogether #WHA73 — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 13, 2020 × "But we have a long way to go. The world cannot put all its eggs in one basket, and neglect the many other tools at our disposal that countries like Thailand have shown are effective for bringing this virus under control," the WHO chief asserted. "The virus itself has not changed significantly, and nor have the measures needed to stop it." However, Tedros reiterated that the World Health Assembly has at times been used for "political purposes that divide, rather than to focus on shared health challenges". "The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown that there is an urgent need for a globally agreed system for sharing pathogen materials and clinical samples, to facilitate the rapid development of medical countermeasures as global public goods," Tedros asserted.

'World cannot put all eggs in one basket': WHO chief Tedros 'encouraged' by coronavirus clinical trials

The United States&nbsp;mission in Geneva urged World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday to invite Taiwan to a major meeting the body is hosting next week expected to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic.

It issued a&nbsp;statement saying, "We encourage the WHO to expand its efforts to offer Taiwan increased meaningful cooperation and collaboration with the organization, and this (an invitation to participate) would be a needed step in that direction.''

Washington has been deeply critical of the WHO and its boss Tedros for its handling of the pandemic, saying it is too close to China, and plans to withdraw.

Explainer: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explainer-why-is-taiwan-excluded-from-the-who-298975">Why is Taiwan excluded from the WHO</a>

Backed by the United States, Taiwan has stepped up lobbying this year to take part in the meeting of the WHO's decision-making body as an observer, angering China, which claims the democratically-run island as its own territory.

Taiwan&nbsp;has been excluded from the WHO and a number of other international organisations in the face of pressure from China, which regards the self-ruled democratic island of 23 million people as its own territory.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-indias-support-for-taiwans-who-membership-can-rattle-china-298744">How India's support for Taiwan's WHO membership can rattle China</a>

Taiwan, which was praised internationally for quickly containing the coronavirus, was not invited to an earlier meeting by the same body in May and it agreed to put off the issue until later in the year.

The World Medical Association (WMA), a confederation of national medical associations that jointly represent more than 10 million physicians, called Thursday for that to change.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is proof that cooperation for and with all health care systems in the world is necessary," WMA chairman Frank Montgomery said in an open letter to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"We believe it is both cynical and counterproductive to continue excluding the health representatives from&nbsp;Taiwan&nbsp;from participating in the World Health Assembly."&nbsp;

"During this unprecedented global health emergency, the international community is counting on a WHA that leaves no one behind, including&nbsp;Taiwan," the US mission in Geneva said in a statement Friday.

The WHO has previously said it has no mandate to invite Taiwan since members disagree on the island's participation.

The virtual meeting of 194 member states is set to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and related health issues.

The United States mission in Geneva urged World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday to invite Taiwan to a major meeting the body is hosting next week expected to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United States mission in Geneva urged World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday to invite Taiwan to a major meeting the body is hosting next week expected to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. It issued a statement saying, "We encourage the WHO to expand its efforts to offer Taiwan increased meaningful cooperation and collaboration with the organization, and this (an invitation to participate) would be a needed step in that direction.'' Washington has been deeply critical of the WHO and its boss Tedros for its handling of the pandemic, saying it is too close to China, and plans to withdraw. Explainer: Why is Taiwan excluded from the WHO Backed by the United States, Taiwan has stepped up lobbying this year to take part in the meeting of the WHO's decision-making body as an observer, angering China, which claims the democratically-run island as its own territory. Taiwan has been excluded from the WHO and a number of other international organisations in the face of pressure from China, which regards the self-ruled democratic island of 23 million people as its own territory. Also read: How India's support for Taiwan's WHO membership can rattle China Taiwan, which was praised internationally for quickly containing the coronavirus, was not invited to an earlier meeting by the same body in May and it agreed to put off the issue until later in the year. The World Medical Association (WMA), a confederation of national medical associations that jointly represent more than 10 million physicians, called Thursday for that to change. "The Covid-19 pandemic is proof that cooperation for and with all health care systems in the world is necessary," WMA chairman Frank Montgomery said in an open letter to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "We believe it is both cynical and counterproductive to continue excluding the health representatives from Taiwan from participating in the World Health Assembly." "During this unprecedented global health emergency, the international community is counting on a WHA that leaves no one behind, including Taiwan," the US mission in Geneva said in a statement Friday. The WHO has previously said it has no mandate to invite Taiwan since members disagree on the island's participation. The virtual meeting of 194 member states is set to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and related health issues.

US urges WHO chief to invite Taiwan to a key meeting