COVID-19 pandemic can end in 2022 if international community takes comprehensive measures: WHO

New Delhi: The international community can put an end to the coronavirus pandemic in 2022 if it takes comprehensive measures, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.

“The WHO continues to work nationally, regionally and globally to provide the evidence, the strategies, the tools and the technical and operational support countries need. If countries use all of these strategies and tools in a comprehensive way, we can end the acute phase of the pandemic this year,” Tedros said at the opening of the 150th session of the WHO Executive Board.

There is a need to learn lessons from the pandemic and develop new solutions to prevent such emergencies now, “and not to wait until the pandemic is over, according to WHO chief.

COVID IN INDIA

Daily COVID-19 cases in India will start to decline after February 15, said official government sources on Monday. “Covid cases in the country to decline after February 15. The cases have started reducing and stabilising in some States and metro cities,” sources told ANI.

Stressing that COVID-19 vaccination has reduced the impact of the third wave, the government sources further added, “Union Health Ministry is coordinating with States and Union Territories. 74 per cent of the adult population is fully vaccinated.”

India on Monday reported a decline in the daily COVID-19 infections as the country logged 3,06,064 new COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of over 20 per cent, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

As per government data, new infections were 27,469 less than that reported on Sunday. However, the daily positivity rate rose to 20.75 per cent from 17.78 per cent yesterday.

The ministry has said that India’s active caseload currently stands at 22,49,335. It accounts for 5.69 per cent of the total cases.

The government data shows that 439 people succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours. The death toll is now at 4,89,848. The case fatality rate is 1.24 per cent.

With 2,43,495 people recovering from the infection in the last 24 hours, the cumulative recoveries mounted to 3,68,04,145.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive, 162.26 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far.

With the administration of more than 27 lakh vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has reached 1,62,26,07,516 as per provisional reports till 7 am today, the ministry said.

So far 81,80,165 precaution doses have been administered to eligible beneficiaries. Of these, 27,40,418 were given to healthcare workers, 26,87,668 to frontline workers and 27,52,079 to those above the age of 60 years with comorbidities. The administration of the precaution dose began on January 10.

In the vaccination drive for children aged between 15-18 years, 4,19,32,411 vaccine doses have been administered. Their vaccination drive commenced on January 3 this year.