September 29, 2020

expert reaction to 1 million deaths globally in people with COVID-19, and what we have learned since the pandemic started

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that there have now been over 1 million deaths from COVID-19 globally. 

Dr Gail Carson, Deputy Chair of the Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN), said:

“One thing that has happened globally is the virus continues to mystify us.  Yes we have learnt about some of its characteristics but we still do not fully understand what the long term health implications are, or how some lower income countries did not see the hospitalisations and deaths the UK have.”

Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, said:

“Today, the world has passed a devastating milestone: 1 million recorded deaths from covid-19.  In reality, the unrecorded total is much higher.  Every individual death is a tragedy.  We must not forget that this pandemic is still accelerating and shows no signs of slowing down.  We must do everything in our power to bring this pandemic, and all its harmful consequences, to an end as quickly as possible.

“The ACT-Accelerator urgently needs $35bn to develop and provide tests, treatments and vaccines for the world and to have the health systems to deliver them.  In the last week, the UK & Canadian Governments have stepped up and committed significant amounts.  We urge global leaders to delay no longer and join them. Every day matters.

“This needs more than warm words of solidarity.  This needs a moment of visionary, historic, political and financial leadership.  Only when we have tools to detect, treat and prevent it everywhere, will we be able to stop this pandemic and therefore save lives, give children the education they deserve and restart all our economies.”

All our previous output on this subject can be seen at this weblink:

www.sciencemediacentre.org/tag/covid-19

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