WHO urges China to share data, conduct studies on COVID-19

World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on China to share the data on COVID-19 and also conduct studies on how to prevent future pandemics.

Director-General of the organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, made the call on Thursday in an online media briefing on COVID-19.

He said the data would enable WHO to handle future pandemics.

He added that “gaps in our understanding of post-COVID-19 condition mean we do not understand how best to treat
people suffering with long-term consequences of infection.

“And gaps in our understanding of how this pandemic began will compromise our ability to prevent future pandemics.

“We will continue to call on China to share the data and conduct the studies.”

Ghebreyesus said all hypotheses about the origins of the pandemic remained on the table, as WHO was very concerned
about evolving situations in China, with increasing reports of severe disease.

He added that “in order to make comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on ground, WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions and requirements for ICU support.

“WHO is supporting China to focus its efforts on vaccinating people at the highest risk across the country, and we continue to offer our support for clinical care and protecting health system.”

The director-general also said it is the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic and a global outbreak of monkeypox and an Ebola outbreak in Uganda.

The WHO boss recalled in the same year, the wars in Ethiopia and Ukraine and cholera outbreaks in multiple countries.

He added that there was drought and flooding in the greater Horn of Africa and the Sahel, flooding in Pakistan and numerous other health emergencies.

According to him, there are multiple threats to health that people face year-in-year-out and also in the air they breath.

He said other threats are on the products people consume, the conditions in which they live and work, and in their lack of access to essential health services.

Ghebreyesus, however, said that as 2022 draws to a close, there are still many reasons for hope.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic has declined significantly, the global monkeypox outbreak is waning, and there have been no cases of Ebola in Uganda for more than three weeks.

“We are hopeful that each of these emergencies will be declared over at different points next year.

“Certainly, we are in a much better place with the pandemic than we were a year ago when we were in the early stages of the Omicron wave,
with rapidly increasing cases and deaths.

“But since the peak at the end of January, the number of weekly reported COVID-19 deaths has dropped almost 90 per cent.

“However, there are still too many uncertainties and gaps for organisation to say the pandemic is over.”

According to him, gaps in surveillance, testing and sequencing means the lack of enough understanding on how the virus is changing.

He said “gaps in vaccination means that millions of people especially health workers and older people remained at high-risk of severe
disease and death, while gaps in treatment means people are dying needlessly.”

Ghebreyesus said that gaps in health systems left them unable to cope with surges in patients with COVID-19, flu and other diseases.

According to him, he declared a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of monkeypox, now known as mpox in July.

He explained that “more than 83,000 cases have been reported from 110 countries, although the mortality rate has remained low, with 66 deaths.

“As with COVID-19, the number of weekly reported cases of mpox has also declined more than 90 per cent from the peak.

“If the current trend continues, we are hopeful that next year we will also be able to declare an end to this emergency.”