“While progress has been made through increased uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, analysis of the present situation and forecasting models indicate that the pandemic is far from finished,” a statement said.
The committee, made up of 19 members and headed by Frenchman Didier Houssin, also reiterated “the global call for action to scale up vaccination to achieve 40% coverage for every country’s population by the end of 2021.”
Covid-19 cases, meanwhile, have been soaring in Eastern Europe as authorities there take measures to stem the spread of infections.
Russia, where only around a third of the population is vaccinated against the virus, recorded 36,446 infections and 1,106 linked deaths within 24 hours, its highest rates in a single day since the onset of the pandemic, according to the country’s health authorities Tuesday.
Earlier, President Vladimir Putin ordered workers across the country to stay home for a week from October 30 to November 7, which can be extended in regions where the virus situation is worse.
In Ukraine, another daily record of coronavirus deaths of 734 has been recorded within 24 hours, with 19,120 cases, according to Ukrainian health authorities.
Only 7 million Ukrainians out of a total of over 44 million have been fully inoculated as part of the vaccination campaign that kicked off in February this year.
Text and images courtesy of EFE