Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has said the world is on verge of defeating the coronavirus pandemic by adopting preemptive, proactive and collaborative strategies to combat the virus.
Union health minister Vardhan said this while addressing the 148th session of WHO Executive Board (virtual) meeting on Tuesday.
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While addressing the meeting Vardhan said, “I thank member nations that despite the wide disparity in their epidemiological trends, we’re on verge of defeating pandemic by adopting preemptive, proactive and collaborative strategies.”
“If 2020 was the year of discovery for COVID vaccines, 2021 will be the year we face the challenge of getting it to people across the world who most need it. Here is the big role that we at WHO must play,” Vardhan said while chairing the WHO meeting.
Speaking on the fight against the pandemic, Vardhan said, “Ever since the COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, close to one year ago, we have put up a valiant fight against the disease, with our collective efforts to suppress transmission, prevent illness and reduce deaths.”
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To fight against the pandemic across the world, governments, businesses, and philanthropic organizations got together to start committing resources, he said.
“Therefore, it was not just the progress in science that became remarkable, but the international collaboration that ensured widespread benefits,” he added.
Vardhan said from a “world at risk” to a “world in disorder,” the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board pointed to the inadequacies of systems and financing in an unprepared world.
On the post-COVID19 situation, he said, “The post-COVID world will be filled with challenges.”
“To overcome them, WHO needs to be a trailblazer, empowered to work towards a new vision that allows it to realise its full potential and strengthen health care systems across member nations,” Vardhan further said.