Covid-19: WHO chief optimistic disease will be beaten in 2022
- Published
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief says he is optimistic that the coronavirus pandemic will be defeated in 2022, provided countries work together to contain its spread.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu warned against "narrow nationalism and vaccine hoarding" in a new year statement.
His comments come two years since the WHO was first notified of cases of an unknown pneumonia strain in China.
Global Covid cases now stand at 287m, while nearly 5.5m people have died.
Across the world people are marking the new year but celebrations are muted, with many countries wanting to discourage crowds gathering.
Coronavirus remains part of daily life: a disease that has shut borders, split families and in some places made it unthinkable to leave the house without carrying a mask.
Despite all this, Dr Tedros sounded a positive note in his speech, noting that there are now many more tools to treat Covid-19.
But he warned that continuing inequity in vaccine distribution was increasing the risk of the virus evolving.
"Narrow nationalism and vaccine hoarding by some countries have undermined equity and created the ideal conditions for the emergence of the Omicron variant, and the longer inequity continues, the higher the risks of the virus evolving in ways we can't prevent or predict," he said.
"If we end inequity, we end the pandemic," he added.
In other developments:
South Africa, where Omicron was first reported, has lifted an overnight curfew after announcing the country is likely to have passed the peak of new infections
A German virologist, Christian Drosten, told ZDF television he expects a "relatively normal" winter, pointing to data suggesting that Omicron cases are not as severe
Several countries, including the UK, Italy and Greece, reported record cases
Thousands more flights have been cancelled, nearly half of them in the US, as airlines struggle with crew sickness
Health officials in France have said Omicron is now the country's dominant variant. President Macron said the next few weeks would be difficult, but he was "optimistic for the year to come"
Israel has become one of the first countries in the world to approve a fourth Covid vaccination.
In his comments, Dr Tedros also alluded to low vaccination rates.
While most of the population in Europe and the Americas have received at least one dose, a WHO target of full vaccination rates in 40% of every country by the end of 2021 has been missed across most of Africa.
Dr Tedros has previously criticised wealthier nations for "gobbling up" the global vaccine supply, fully vaccinating much of their populations while others wait for their first doses.
The WHO has set a new goal for 2022: vaccinate 70% of people in all countries by July to end the pandemic.
Global vaccine rollout
Percent of people fully vaccinated
World |
61
|
12,120,524,547 |
China |
87
|
3,403,643,000 |
India |
66
|
1,978,918,170 |
US |
67
|
596,233,489 |
Brazil |
79
|
456,903,089 |
Indonesia |
61
|
417,522,347 |
Japan |
81
|
285,756,540 |
Bangladesh |
72
|
278,785,812 |
Pakistan |
57
|
273,365,003 |
Vietnam |
83
|
233,534,502 |
Mexico |
61
|
209,179,257 |
Germany |
76
|
182,926,984 |
Russia |
51
|
168,992,435 |
Philippines |
64
|
153,852,751 |
Iran |
68
|
149,957,751 |
UK |
73
|
149,397,250 |
Turkey |
62
|
147,839,557 |
France |
78
|
146,197,822 |
Thailand |
76
|
139,099,244 |
Italy |
79
|
138,319,018 |
South Korea |
87
|
126,015,059 |
Argentina |
82
|
106,075,760 |
Spain |
87
|
95,153,556 |
Egypt |
36
|
91,447,330 |
Canada |
83
|
86,256,122 |
Colombia |
71
|
85,767,160 |
Peru |
83
|
77,892,776 |
Malaysia |
83
|
71,272,417 |
Saudi Arabia |
71
|
66,700,629 |
Myanmar |
49
|
62,259,560 |
Chile |
92
|
59,605,701 |
Taiwan |
82
|
58,215,158 |
Australia |
84
|
57,927,802 |
Uzbekistan |
46
|
55,782,994 |
Morocco |
63
|
54,846,507 |
Poland |
60
|
54,605,119 |
Nigeria |
10
|
50,619,238 |
Ethiopia |
32
|
49,687,694 |
Nepal |
69
|
46,888,075 |
Cambodia |
85
|
40,956,960 |
Sri Lanka |
68
|
39,586,599 |
Cuba |
88
|
38,725,766 |
Venezuela |
50
|
37,860,994 |
South Africa |
32
|
36,861,626 |
Ecuador |
78
|
35,827,364 |
Netherlands |
70
|
33,326,378 |
Ukraine |
35
|
31,668,577 |
Mozambique |
44
|
31,616,078 |
Belgium |
79
|
25,672,563 |
United Arab Emirates |
98
|
24,922,054 |
Portugal |
87
|
24,616,852 |
Rwanda |
65
|
22,715,578 |
Sweden |
75
|
22,674,504 |
Uganda |
24
|
21,756,456 |
Greece |
74
|
21,111,318 |
Kazakhstan |
49
|
20,918,681 |
Angola |
21
|
20,397,115 |
Ghana |
23
|
18,643,437 |
Iraq |
18
|
18,636,865 |
Kenya |
17
|
18,535,975 |
Austria |
73
|
18,418,001 |
Israel |
66
|
18,190,799 |
Guatemala |
35
|
17,957,760 |
Hong Kong |
86
|
17,731,631 |
Czech Republic |
64
|
17,676,269 |
Romania |
42
|
16,827,486 |
Hungary |
64
|
16,530,488 |
Dominican Republic |
55
|
15,784,815 |
Switzerland |
69
|
15,759,752 |
Algeria |
15
|
15,205,854 |
Honduras |
53
|
14,444,316 |
Singapore |
92
|
14,225,122 |
Bolivia |
51
|
13,892,966 |
Tajikistan |
52
|
13,782,905 |
Azerbaijan |
47
|
13,772,531 |
Denmark |
82
|
13,227,724 |
Belarus |
67
|
13,206,203 |
Tunisia |
53
|
13,192,714 |
Ivory Coast |
20
|
12,753,769 |
Finland |
78
|
12,168,388 |
Zimbabwe |
31
|
12,006,503 |
Nicaragua |
82
|
11,441,278 |
Norway |
74
|
11,413,904 |
New Zealand |
80
|
11,165,408 |
Costa Rica |
81
|
11,017,624 |
Ireland |
81
|
10,984,032 |
El Salvador |
66
|
10,958,940 |
Laos |
69
|
10,894,482 |
Jordan |
44
|
10,007,983 |
Paraguay |
48
|
8,952,310 |
Tanzania |
7
|
8,837,371 |
Uruguay |
83
|
8,682,129 |
Serbia |
48
|
8,534,688 |
Panama |
71
|
8,366,229 |
Sudan |
10
|
8,179,010 |
Kuwait |
77
|
8,120,613 |
Zambia |
24
|
7,199,179 |
Turkmenistan |
48
|
7,140,000 |
Slovakia |
51
|
7,076,057 |
Oman |
58
|
7,068,002 |
Qatar |
90
|
6,981,756 |
Afghanistan |
13
|
6,445,359 |
Guinea |
20
|
6,329,141 |
Lebanon |
35
|
5,673,326 |
Mongolia |
65
|
5,492,919 |
Croatia |
55
|
5,258,768 |
Lithuania |
70
|
4,489,177 |
Bulgaria |
30
|
4,413,874 |
Syria |
10
|
4,232,490 |
Palestinian Territories |
34
|
3,734,270 |
Benin |
22
|
3,681,560 |
Libya |
17
|
3,579,762 |
Niger |
10
|
3,530,154 |
DR Congo |
2
|
3,514,480 |
Sierra Leone |
23
|
3,493,386 |
Bahrain |
70
|
3,455,214 |
Togo |
18
|
3,290,821 |
Kyrgyzstan |
20
|
3,154,348 |
Somalia |
10
|
3,143,630 |
Slovenia |
59
|
2,996,484 |
Burkina Faso |
7
|
2,947,625 |
Albania |
43
|
2,906,126 |
Georgia |
32
|
2,902,085 |
Latvia |
70
|
2,893,861 |
Mauritania |
28
|
2,872,677 |
Botswana |
63
|
2,730,607 |
Liberia |
41
|
2,716,330 |
Mauritius |
74
|
2,559,789 |
Senegal |
6
|
2,523,856 |
Mali |
6
|
2,406,986 |
Madagascar |
4
|
2,369,775 |
Chad |
12
|
2,356,138 |
Malawi |
8
|
2,166,402 |
Moldova |
26
|
2,165,600 |
Armenia |
33
|
2,150,112 |
Estonia |
64
|
1,993,944 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
26
|
1,924,950 |
Bhutan |
86
|
1,910,077 |
North Macedonia |
40
|
1,850,145 |
Cameroon |
4
|
1,838,907 |
Kosovo |
46
|
1,830,809 |
Cyprus |
72
|
1,788,761 |
Timor-Leste |
52
|
1,638,158 |
Fiji |
70
|
1,609,748 |
Trinidad and Tobago |
51
|
1,574,574 |
Jamaica |
24
|
1,459,394 |
Macau |
89
|
1,441,062 |
Malta |
91
|
1,317,628 |
Luxembourg |
73
|
1,304,777 |
South Sudan |
10
|
1,226,772 |
Central African Republic |
22
|
1,217,399 |
Brunei |
97
|
1,173,118 |
Guyana |
58
|
1,011,150 |
Maldives |
71
|
945,036 |
Lesotho |
34
|
933,825 |
Yemen |
1
|
864,544 |
Congo |
12
|
831,318 |
Namibia |
16
|
825,518 |
Gambia |
14
|
812,811 |
Iceland |
79
|
805,469 |
Cape Verde |
55
|
773,810 |
Montenegro |
45
|
675,285 |
Comoros |
34
|
642,320 |
Papua New Guinea |
3
|
615,156 |
Guinea-Bissau |
17
|
572,954 |
Gabon |
11
|
567,575 |
Eswatini |
29
|
535,393 |
Suriname |
40
|
505,699 |
Samoa |
99
|
494,684 |
Belize |
53
|
489,508 |
Equatorial Guinea |
14
|
484,554 |
Solomon Islands |
25
|
463,637 |
Haiti |
1
|
342,724 |
Bahamas |
40
|
340,866 |
Barbados |
53
|
316,212 |
Vanuatu |
40
|
309,433 |
Tonga |
91
|
242,634 |
Jersey |
80
|
236,026 |
Djibouti |
16
|
222,387 |
Seychelles |
82
|
221,597 |
Sao Tome and Principe |
44
|
218,850 |
Isle of Man |
79
|
189,994 |
Guernsey |
81
|
157,161 |
Andorra |
69
|
153,383 |
Kiribati |
50
|
147,497 |
Cayman Islands |
90
|
145,906 |
Bermuda |
77
|
131,612 |
Antigua and Barbuda |
63
|
126,122 |
Saint Lucia |
29
|
121,513 |
Gibraltar |
123
|
119,855 |
Faroe Islands |
83
|
103,894 |
Grenada |
34
|
89,147 |
Greenland |
68
|
79,745 |
St Vincent and the Grenadines |
28
|
71,501 |
Liechtenstein |
69
|
70,780 |
Turks and Caicos Islands |
76
|
69,803 |
San Marino |
69
|
69,338 |
Dominica |
42
|
66,992 |
Monaco |
65
|
65,140 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis |
49
|
60,467 |
British Virgin Islands |
59
|
41,198 |
Cook Islands |
84
|
39,780 |
Anguilla |
67
|
23,926 |
Nauru |
79
|
22,976 |
Burundi |
0.12
|
17,139 |
Tuvalu |
52
|
12,528 |
Saint Helena |
58
|
7,892 |
Montserrat |
38
|
4,422 |
Falkland Islands |
50
|
4,407 |
Niue |
88
|
4,161 |
Tokelau |
71
|
1,936 |
Pitcairn |
100
|
94 |
British Indian Ocean Territory |
0
|
0 |
Eritrea |
0
|
0 |
North Korea |
0
|
0 |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
0
|
0 |
Vatican |
0
|
0 |
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This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals or vaccines administered for each location. Total doses may include booster doses in addition to those required for full vaccination. The definition of full vaccination varies by location and vaccine type and is subject to change over time. Full vaccination can refer to a person receiving all required doses of a specific vaccine or sometimes recovery from infection plus one dose of a vaccine. Definitions have not yet been updated to account for booster campaigns to control the spread of new variants. Some locations may reach vaccination rates over 100%, such as Gibraltar, due to population estimates that are lower than the number of people who have now been vaccinated in that place.
Source: Our World in Data
Last updated: 5 July 2022, 13:28 BST
- Published1 June 2022
- Published30 December 2021