WHO Calls for an End to the Coronavirus Pandemic Next Year

The World Health Organization (WHO) expert Maria Van Kerkhove has called on the global community to make efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic next year. According to international news sources, the relevant statement was published in the El Pais newspaper.

“We need to end this pandemic. We need to bring infections down to a low level, prevent serious illnesses through vaccination, and ensure timely treatment. 2022 must be the year we achieve this,” said the expert.

“But I think we are not making enough efforts to reach the end,” she added, as reported by TASS.

Kerkhove also commented on the emergence of the Omicron variant. “If it is transmitted more easily, and there are a large number of cases—either of reinfections or among fully vaccinated individuals—then a large number of cases will lead to a significant rise in hospitalizations,” she explained. “And more hospitalizations in an already burdened system will result in more deaths,” Kerkhove emphasized.

She urged governments to take action, keeping isolation in mind. She reminded the need for mask-wearing, enabling remote work, limiting contact with others, avoiding gatherings, and preparing hospitals.

Furthermore, Kerkhove highlighted that the emergence of the Omicron variant does not mean that vaccines will become ineffective. “It only means that, probably, they won't protect as well as they did against the Delta variant,” the expert added.