TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2025
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’.
Published on May 25, 2025
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- 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.
Nagaland Districts
