NEW YORK: United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned on Monday that the Covid-19 pandemic is not the last of its kind and that people should take action to prevent such crises in the future.
“COVID19 will not be the last pandemic that humanity will face. As we respond to this health crisis, we must prepare for the next. On this International Epidemic Preparedness Day, let’s give this problem the attention, attention and investment it deserves, “UN Secretary-General Guterres said in a tweet.

The first-ever International Epidemic Preparedness Day was celebrated on December 27 last year after the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed on the need to advocate for in the preparation and prevention of epidemics.
During a press briefing last week, the WHO director general warned that general COVID-19 vaccine booster programs could prolong the pandemic and increase inequalities.
“No country can get out of the pandemic,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva during his last press briefing of the year. “And the boosters cannot be seen as a ticket to moving forward with the planned celebrations, without needing other precautions,” he added.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has issued interim guidance on booster doses, expressing concern that mass programs for countries that can afford them exacerbate inequalities in immunization. vaccination.
Reflecting on the past year, Tedros reported that more people died from Covid-19 in 2021 than from HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined, in 2020.
The coronavirus has killed 3.5 million people this year and continues to claim some 50,000 lives every week.