As many as 33,706,888 people around the world have tested positive for the coronavirus. (File)
Geneva:
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that the actual number of deaths from COVID-19 is “certainly over” 1 million.
Speaking at a high-level UNGA event, Tedros said: “One million people have been confirmed to have lost their lives due to this new virus. The actual number is certainly higher. others are fighting for their lives in hospitals around the world. “
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries to work together to expand access to testing and treatment and expand support for the vaccine for the “global public good.”
“It is in the national and economic interest of each country to work together to massively expand access to testing and treatment and to support a vaccine as a global public good, a popular vaccine available and affordable to everyone. all over. Access to the COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator with its COVAX installation is the vehicle to get us there, ”he said.
Guterres stressed that the ACT accelerator is the only sure way to reopen the global economy and ensure that the most effective vaccine reaches everyone.
“The current funding gap for ACT Accelerator is $ 35 billion. This is less than 1% of what G20 governments have already committed to national stimulus plans. To put it another way, it’s roughly equivalent to what the world spends on cigarettes every two weeks. . Full funding for the ACT Accelerator will help control the pandemic, restore confidence and spur global recovery, ”he added.
According to the latest update from Johns Hopkins University, as many as 33,706,888 people worldwide have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,009,064 deaths have been reported so far.
