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THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has emphasised the importance of safety and enforcement of guidelines to prevent COVID-19, as countries began to reopen their societies and economies.
The WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, said this at a news conference at WHO Headquarters in Geneva.
Ghebreyesus said: “As some countries start to reopen their societies and economies, questions about how to hold gatherings of large numbers of people safely have become increasingly important.
“This is especially true of one of the world’s largest mass gatherings, the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
“Earlier this week, the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that this year’s Hajj will proceed with a limited number of pilgrims of different nationalities who live within the Kingdom.
“This decision was made based on a risk assessment and analysis of different scenarios, in accordance with WHO’s guidance, to protect the safety of pilgrims and minimise the risk of transmission.
“WHO supports this decision. We understand that it was not an easy decision to make, and we also understand it is a major disappointment for many Muslims who were looking forward to making their pilgrimage this year.
“This is another example of the hard choices that all countries must make to put health first,” he said.
According to him, more than 9.1 million cases of COVID-19 have now been reported to WHO, and more than 470,000 deaths.
“In the first month of this outbreak, less than 10,000 cases were reported to WHO. In the last month, almost four million cases have been reported and we expect to reach a total of 10 million cases within the next week.
“This is a sober reminder that even as we continue research into vaccines and therapeutics, we have an urgent responsibility to do everything we can with the tools we have now to suppress transmission and save lives,’’ he said.
The director-general said one of the most effective ways of saving lives was providing oxygen to patients who needed it.
“Several news reports published today have highlighted the vital role of oxygen in treating patients with severe and critical COVID-19.
“This has been an area of intense focus for WHO since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Patients with severe and critical COVID-19 cannot get enough oxygen into their blood by breathing normally; they need higher concentrations of oxygen and support to get it into their lungs.
“Left untreated, severe COVID-19 deprives cells and organs of the oxygen they need, which ultimately leads to organ failure and death.
“Medical oxygen is produced using oxygen concentrators, which extract and purify oxygen from the air,’’ he said.
According to him, WHO estimates that at the current rate of about one million new cases a week, the world needs about 620,000 cubic meters of oxygen a day, which is about 88,000 large cylinders.
“However, many countries are now experiencing difficulties in obtaining oxygen concentrators; 80 percent of the market is owned by just a few companies, and demand is currently outstripping supply.
“WHO and our UN partners are working with manufacturers across the world through a variety of private-sector networks to buy oxygen concentrators for countries that need them most.’’
Ghebreyesus said ongoing talks with suppliers in recent weeks had enabled WHO to buy 14,000 oxygen concentrators, which would be sent to 120 countries in the coming weeks.
“WHO has identified a further 170,000 concentrators that can be available over the next six months, with a value of 100 million dollars.
“Also, the WHO has bought 9,800 pulse oximeters, a simple device used to monitor oxygen in a patient’s blood, which are being prepared for shipment.
“Another challenge is that many patients with the critical disease need a higher flow rate of oxygen than is produced by most commercially available concentrators.
“To address this challenge, WHO is supporting several countries to buy equipment that will enable them to generate their own concentrated oxygen in larger amounts?
“This is a sustainable solution for COVID-19 and beyond, but requires technical expertise for maintenance,’’ he said.
In addition, the director-general said WHO had also published technical specifications for the design of this equipment, as well as guidance for countries on oxygen sources and distribution.
“This is just one way in which WHO is continuing to support countries with science, solidarity and solutions,’’ he said. (NAN)
– Jun. 25, 2020 @ 17:55 GMT |
Tags: Reopening of economies: WHO harps on importance of safety
