Covid-19 Will Be Over By The End Of This Year – António Guterres

By Maxwell Nkansah * The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, is optimistic that the world can be COVID-19-free in the next three months. He is of the view that this is possible if countries implement stricter measures to control the spread of the virus. Several countries are still reeling from the impact of the pandemic. In Ghana, the government has been forced to seek support from the International Monetary Fund, partly attributed to the effects of the pandemic. Speaking at a high-level event on ending COVID-19, António Guterres said equitable access to vaccines would ensure that countries end the coronavirus by the end of 2022. "Countries are increasingly integrating COVID-19 measures into routine services and programs. The lessons from these successes are clear. The virus is treatable; we can save lives and bring the virus under control even among high-risk populations. If we can combine these tools with our great ambitions as world leaders, we could end the pandemic this year. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) said there is an end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, says the pandemic is gradually fading out following a global reduction in the number of deaths. Addressing a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, however, added that more needs to be done to eradicate COVID-19 permanently. "We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic. We are not there yet. But the end is in sight, "he mentioned. He urged countries to keep up their efforts against the virus that has killed over six million people. "Last week, the number of weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 was the lowest since March 2020," said Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus. Globally, 10,935 COVID-19 deaths were recorded in the week of September 5 to 11, according to their latest report. That’s a decrease of more than 20 percent compared to the week before. In that same period, the WHO reported 407 new deaths in Australia. As of September 11, more than 6.4 million COVID-19 deaths had been reported globally since the pandemic began. Australia has recorded 14,421 COVID-19 deaths, according to the last federal government update from September 9.