Happy New Year!
The dawn of a new year provides an opportunity to renew our collective response to a common threat.
And I hope that world leaders who have shown such determination to protect their people will seek to expand it in order to ensure that the entire world is safe and protected.
This pandemic will not end unless we do it!
Last week, I asked everyone to make a New Year's resolution to support the campaign to vaccinate 70% of the population in every country by mid-2022.
Moreover, I asked them to ensure that innovative treatments and reliable tests are available in all countries.
In order to end the acute phase of the pandemic, we must share the highly effective tools of science with all countries in the world fairly and quickly.
One of our biggest failures last year was inequity in the areas of vaccines and health in general.
While some countries have had enough personal protective equipment, tests and vaccines to stock up on throughout the pandemic, many countries do not have enough of them to meet basic needs or achieve modest targets, something that no country would be willing to do. rich.
Vaccine inequities are killing lives and jobs and undermining the global economic recovery.
The alpha, beta, delta, gamma and omicron axes show that we have created favorable conditions for the emergence of virus variants, which is partly due to poor vaccination rates.
Last week, the largest number of COVID-19 cases were reported since the beginning of the pandemic.
We know beyond any doubt that this is just an underestimation of the true number of cases because the reported numbers do not include the backlog of uncompleted tests around the holidays, the number of unregistered positive self-tests, and the cumbersome surveillance systems that missed many records. cases in the world.
Although the Omicron mutant appears to be less severe than the Delta mutant, especially in vaccinated people, this does not mean that it should be classified as a "mild" mutant.
Just like the previous mutants, Omicron causes people to be hospitalized and take their lives.
In fact, the tsunami of cases is so massive and fast that it is overwhelming health systems the world over.
Hospitals are becoming overcrowded and understaffed, resulting in preventable deaths not only from COVID-19 but also in other illnesses and injuries because patients cannot get timely care.
Although first-generation vaccines may not eliminate all infections and transmissions, they are still highly effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths from this virus.
In addition to vaccination, public health social measures, including appropriate wearing of masks, physical distancing, avoiding crowds, and improving and investing in ventilation, are important to reduce transmission.
If vaccines continue to be deployed at the current rate, 109 countries will be unable to fully vaccinate 70% of their population by the beginning of July 2022.
The core of this disparity is that some countries are on course to vaccinate their citizens for the fourth time, while others have not even received enough regular supplies to vaccinate their health workers and vulnerable populations.
Introducing continuous boosters in a small number of countries will not end the pandemic as long as billions of people remain unprotected.
However, we can and must reverse this trend. In the short term, we can end the acute phase of this pandemic while preparing now for future pandemics.
First, we must actively share the vaccines that are being produced.
This has not been the case for much of 2021, but supplies increased towards the end of the year.
Currently, it is important for manufacturers and dose-donor countries to announce early dose delivery times so that the countries concerned are sufficiently prepared to deploy them effectively.
Second, let's take a "never again" approach to pandemic preparedness and vaccine manufacturing that equitably produces the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they become available, so countries don't have to beg for so few resources.
A few countries provided a blueprint for how high-quality vaccines and other health kits can be mass-produced quickly and distributed effectively. We must now be guided by this scheme.
WHO will continue to invest in vaccine manufacturing centers and work with all manufacturers willing to share know-how, technology and licences.
I am encouraged by the commitment of the creators of some of the vaccines currently in trials to relinquish patents and share licenses, technology and know-how.
This reminds me of Jonas Salk, who chose not to register his polio vaccine, thus saving millions of children from the disease.
Let's also invest in and build the public health systems and health systems we need through robust surveillance, adequate testing, strengthen, support and protect the health workforce, and empower, engage and support global populations.
Finally, I call on the world's citizens, including civil society, science professionals, business leaders, economists, and educators, to demand that governments and pharmaceutical companies share health tools globally and end the cycle of death and destruction caused by this pandemic.
We need equity in vaccines, treatment, testing and health, and we need your votes to drive that change.
Fairness, fairness, then fairness.
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This message of fairness is more true of countries or territories facing humanitarian crises and conflict zones than in any other situation.
In these areas, it is very difficult to respond to the pandemic and keep health services on track.
Access to humanitarian access is the prerequisite for the success of a life-saving intervention.
We are present in the field in all humanitarian crises, and in all cases we have been able to find ways to deliver aid and supplies to the population.
In Afghanistan, for example, more than three-quarters of health facilities reported that stocks of essential medicines had run out until recently, and this posed a threat to health workers' survival.
However, as of December, more than 2,300 health facilities have received new supplies, while 25,000 health workers have received a salary in return for ensuring that the health system is 96% operational thanks to a joint effort between WHO and UNICEF.
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In Ethiopia, MSF was able to send 14 metric tons of medical supplies to Afar and 70 metric tons to Amhara in December.
In Tigray, MSF has not been allowed to distribute medical supplies since mid-July last year.
This is despite the organization's repeated requests to provide medical supplies to the Tigray region, which would help meet some humanitarian and health needs in this region.
The organization and its partners have managed to save lives even in the most difficult periods of conflict in Syria, South Sudan, Yemen and other countries.
However, the de facto blockade of Tigray is preventing access to humanitarian supplies, causing loss of life.
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I explained at the beginning of this talk how the new year is a time to renew our response.
I urge all leaders and key conflict stakeholders to remember that those who work to bring peace are the heroes that history will remember.
We need peace for the sake of health and health for the sake of peace.
To build confidence and save lives, a good starting point is to ensure that humanitarian and health corridors are opened in all conflict zones so that international agencies and civil society organizations can do what they do best: save lives.
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I wish everyone who celebrates Orthodox Christmas tomorrow peace, happiness and good health in their homes.
Back to you, Margaret.