Professor Houssin, Members and Advisors of the Emergency Committee, dear colleagues and friends,
Welcome to this ninth meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee.
When last you met, we were in the early stages of a new global wave of cases and deaths, driven by the Delta variant.
That wave peaked in August. Reported cases and deaths have declined since then, and are now at the lowest level in a year.
Cases and deaths are declining in every WHO region except the European Region, where several Member States in the Region’s East are facing severe outbreaks.
And of course, deaths are highest in the countries and populations with the least access to, or acceptance of, vaccines and other life-saving tools.
At the same time, the virus continues to evolve, resulting in more transmissible variants.
A number of other factors are driving transmission, including increased social mobility and social mixing, inappropriate or inconsistent use of proven public health and social measures, as well as misinformation, disinformation and politicization.
We are concerned that in some countries, there appears to be a view that the pandemic is over. It’s not. We continue to urge all Member States to persist with a comprehensive, tailored and risk-based approach, complementing vaccination with the right public health measures.
Inequitable access to vaccines and other life-saving tools means that a large proportion of the world’s population remains susceptible to infection and at increased risk of severe disease and death.
As you know, we have set a target to vaccinate 40% of the population of every country by the end of this year.
82 countries are at risk of missing that target. For most of those countries, it’s simply a problem of insufficient and unpredictable supply. A small group of countries have some limitations in their ability to absorb vaccines, and we are working to address those problems.
Recent months have also shown the importance of monitoring vaccine protection.
Data show that vaccines slow but don’t fully stop transmission; however, they are very effective at protecting against symptomatic and severe disease as well as hospitalization and death caused by the Delta variant.
However, given the still-unknown benefits of revaccinating the general population, WHO has decided that additional doses should be targeted to at-risk population groups, such as those who are immunocompromised and older people.
My colleagues will introduce the technical updates from the WHO Secretariat, which will focus on the current epidemiological situation, variants, vaccination and international travel.
I would like to thank you, Committee Chair Professor Didier Houssin, for your skilled stewardship.
On behalf of WHO, my thanks to each of the committee members and advisors for sharing your expertise and for your dedication and commitment.
As always, the International Health Regulations will guide your deliberations.
I wish you a productive meeting.
I thank you.