COVID-19 Making a Comeback
At a time, when the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to make a comeback, the WHO has achieved a major success by adopting a ‘global pandemic agreement’.
- At a time, when the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to make
a comeback, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has achieved a major success by
adopting a ‘global pandemic agreement’ in its recently concluded session, which
in all probability will usher in a new era of international collaboration in
tackling any future pandemic situations. The highlight of the treaty is
equitable access to life-saving medicines and tools, the absence of which had
significantly hindered our fight against the deadly virus, causing thousands of
deaths. Thus, the treaty from the very beginning which has been signed by
various nations after three year-long deliberations, has managed to cross a
major obstacle in the way to a better global health security. It may be
mentioned here that COVID-19 pandemic had brought to light a lack of
understanding and unity among various nations in fighting the menace. The
inequality had clearly created two worlds: while vaccines and other necessary
medical help were available only to rich and powerful nations, the poor nations
had to wait indefinitely for requisite medicines. As a result, a large section
of the world populace is still devoid of proper health shields against
pandemics leaving the world vulnerable to future pandemics as the security net
will become unbreachable only after each nation having equal facilities.
Besides, the effort made by WHO to ascertain the origin of this
life-threatening virus had also received setbacks as a couple of nations were
in mood to allow WHO fact-finding on their soils, which highlighted the need of
adding more teeth to it while dealing with such public health emergencies.
There is no denying that a new beginning has been made in regard to public
health security, after the setback the world had suffered during COVID-19
pandemic.
- On the other hand, notwithstanding the ‘public health
agreement,’ the nations should not lower their guards in their fight against
the resurgent COVID-19 virus. This time the battle may appear to be relatively
easy with the experiences we have gathered a couple of years ago, but the
situation is not conducive enough to show any kind of complacency despite some
health specialists terming the virus is neither deadly, nor need
hospitalisation of the infected persons. But to be on the safer side, we should
ignore such opinions as COVID virus has many variants, making it necessary for
us to follow all the necessary health protocols that were followed on the
previous occasion to deny the virus any chance to make a comeback. As a matter
of fact, COVID cases are already on the rise in some Asian countries. In India
too, states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat have so far
reported 257 active COVID cases and a death due to COVID has been reported. So,
to prevent the infection from spreading further, WHO should impose strict guidelines
for both the health professionals and the patients at the earliest as the
waning vaccine immunity may be a cause for concern and the very purpose of the
global health treaty will be defeated if the nations do not adhere to it.
