GENEVA, Oct 18 (NNN-TELESUR) — Director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported that the number of deaths per week in the world due to COVID-19 continues to fall and stands at 50,000, the lowest figure recorded in almost a year.
However, the head of the WHO warned that the figure remains unacceptable. He stressed that the real figure may be higher, as in several countries there are deaths from the virus that escape the counts of health authorities.
On the other hand, he regretted that in 56 countries, which lack access to the vaccine market against the coronavirus, they were unable to reach the objective of immunizing 10 percent of their population by the end of September.
A recent press release, issued by the United Nations (UN), reported that most of these countries belong to the African continent. It added that more countries than those listed run the risk of failing to meet the goal of vaccinating 40 percent of their population by the end of this year.
Tedros wrote on his Twitter account that “equity in vaccination has been undermined by the lack of sharing of licenses, knowledge, and technology by manufacturers.”
In Africa, nations such as Chad, Niger, Sierra Leone or Ethiopia do not reach 1 percent of their population vaccinated, while Tanzania or Nigeria barely exceed that percentage.
Morocco leads the list with 56.1 percent of its population vaccinated, followed by Cape Verde with 30.2 percent and South Africa with 17.4 percent.
So far, the countries with the highest mortality from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic are the United States with more than 720,000 deaths, Brazil with more than 600,000, and India with more than 450,000. — NNN-TELESUR
