Among other things, the vaccination gaps in poorer countries would have to be closed and more testing would have to be carried out, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a meeting of the WHO Executive Board in Geneva.

Omicron as a beacon of hope

Omicron “creates credible hope for stabilization and normalization,” said WHO regional chief for Europe Hans Kluge. This variant of the coronavirus leads to a much weaker course of the disease than the prevailing delta variant. Kluge and Tedros warn against premature optimism. “It would be dangerous to assume that Omicron was the last variant and that we are already in the final phase,” said the WHO chief.

Because of the rapid spread of omicron, 100 new cases from around the world were reported to the WHO every three seconds last week, and a death was added every 12 seconds, Tedros reported.

No more vaccine shortages

However, the head of the UN health organization also had good news for the steering committee of health ministers and high-ranking officials from 34 countries: the vaccine shortage had been overcome. The logistical challenge now is to bring the doses to all countries and administer them there.

According to Tedros, 85 percent of people in Africa have not yet received a vaccination. Only if 70 percent of the population in each country is vaccinated in the coming months can the virus be defeated, Tedros said. In addition, treatment options would have to be improved in order to reduce mortality. “We can end Covid-19 as a global emergency, and we can do it this year,” Tedros said.

After a meeting with Tedros in Geneva, Germany’s Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) emphasized that the federal government is particularly supporting the development of vaccine production in Africa in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies. In their view, however, the often-requested temporary suspension of vaccine patents would be counterproductive because it could prevent companies from developing new products. (dpa)