WHO: COVID deaths increasing… countries should strive to achieve 70% vaccination target

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says COVID deaths have been increasing globally in the last five weeks.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said this on Wednesday during a media briefing on monkeypox, COVID-19, and other health-related issues.

The director-general said although the COVID pandemic is far from over, a lot of important lessons have been learnt from it compared to a year ago.

He highlighted the importance of vaccinating the right groups, adding that even in some countries that have reached 70% vaccination coverage, if significant numbers of older people and other at-risk groups remain unvaccinated, deaths will continue.

“This is not theoretical; this is real,” he said.

“COVID-19 deaths have been increasing for the last five weeks, and several countries are reporting increasing trends in hospitalisations, following waves of transmission driven by Omicron sub-variants.

“Last week, WHO launched an update to the global COVID-19 vaccination strategy, emphasising the need to vaccinate the most at-risk groups, including 100% of health and care workers, 100% of older people, and 100% of those at highest risk.

“We continue to urge all countries to strive for the target of 70% vaccination coverage, with a focus on targeted vaccination strategies that prioritise the most vulnerable, which is the most effective way to save lives.

“While vaccines have saved countless lives, they have not substantially reduced transmission. So it’s vital for governments and the private sector to continue collaborating and investing in the development of new vaccines that prevent both infection and disease.

“We also need vaccines that can be delivered more easily, such as through nasal sprays or drops.”

In Nigeria, the test positivity ratio of COVID has continued to increase in the last eight weeks, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Since the first case in February 2020, there have been 260,764 cases of COVID in the country — including 3,147 deaths.