Keep guard up over festive period, warns WHO chief

GENEVA • The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Christmas celebrations could turn into tears if people fail to keep up their guard against Covid-19 during the festive season.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday the number of deaths in the coronavirus pandemic was surging and he urged people to think very carefully about their holiday season plans.

His warning came as the United States said it has authorised the use of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, with the first inoculations expected within days, marking a turning point in a country where the pandemic has killed more than 295,000 people.

"The festive season is a time to relax and celebrate but... celebration can very quickly turn to sadness if we fail to take the right precautions," he told a news conference.

"As you prepare to celebrate over the coming weeks, please, please consider your plans carefully. If you live in an area with high transmission, please take every precaution to keep yourselves and others safe."

Dr Tedros said there had been a 60 per cent increase worldwide in deaths from the respiratory disease over the past six weeks.

However, some continents are witnessing bigger death toll surges than others, said WHO's technical lead on Covid-19 Maria Van Kerkhove.

She said there had been nearly a 100 per cent increase in the number of deaths per week in the WHO's Europe region over the past six weeks, a 54 per cent increase in the Americas and 50 per cent in Africa.

Meanwhile, WHO's emergencies director Michael Ryan said the virus was yet to settle down into a predictable pattern.

"The situation globally is still very epidemiologically unstable," he said.

In the US, the health authorities, shipping services, hospitals and pharmacies have been readying a nationwide inoculation campaign.

Pfizer said it would start shipping immediately and state public health systems have been planning to begin shots as early as tomorrow.

Healthcare workers and elderly people in long-term care facilities are expected to be the main recipients of a first round of 2.9 million doses.

After Britain last week started rolling out public vaccinations against the coronavirus, Dr Tedros said the production of safe and effective jabs against a disease that was completely unknown a year ago was an "astounding scientific achievement".

He said that almost one billion doses of three vaccine candidates had been secured as part of the Covax facility.

The WHO-led scheme for pooling risk and reward among countries rich and poor is a global attempt to speed up the development of Covid-19 vaccines, and purchase and distribute them evenly regardless of wealth.

Some 189 countries and economies are on board with the scheme, which aims to secure vaccines for 20 per cent of the population in each country by the end of next year.

"Further deals will be announced in the near future," Dr Tedros said.

Looking forward to next year, WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward said there was light at the end of the "long tunnel".

"There is no reason for us to see the same epidemic next year because we know how to beat this disease," he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS