Brazzaville, 27 May 2021 – Africa needs at least 20 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the next six weeks to get second doses to all who received a first dose within the 8—12-week interval between doses recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). A single dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine gives around 70% protection […]
World Health Organization
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WHO appeals for regular access to Palestinian enclave amid ongoing Israeli strikes
The UN health agency has added its weight to calls for regular humanitarian access to Gaza, where two dozen medical facilities have now come under attack through Israeli air strikes, along with healthcare personnel. In a World Health Organization (WHO) press conference on Thursday, senior officials highlighted the “almost total destruction” of the central COVID-19 testing lab […]
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New international expert panel to address the emergence and spread of zoonotic disease
GENEVA/PARIS/ROME 20 May 2021 – International organizations have come together to launch a new One Health High-Level Expert Panel to improve understanding of how diseases with the potential to trigger pandemics, emerge and spread. The panel will advise four international organizations – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); the World Organisation for Animal […]
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Interim guidance on reducing public health risks associated with the sale of live wild mammals in traditional food markets
April 13, 2021 – World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have issued interim guidance on reducing public health risks associated with the sale of live wild mammals in traditional food markets around the world. Among other measures, the guidance calls on countries to suspend the […]
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Report examines meteorological and air quality factors and COVID-19
Geneva, 19 March 2021 – A World Meteorological Organization Task Team has issued its first report on Meteorological and Air Quality factors affecting the COVID-19 pandemic. It cautions that weather and climate conditions, including the onset of higher temperatures in the northern hemisphere spring, should not be used as a trigger to relax measures to […]
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Devastatingly pervasive: 1 in 3 women globally experience violence
GENEVA/NEW YORK, March 9, 2021 – Violence against women remains devastatingly pervasive and starts alarmingly young, shows new data from WHO and partners. Across their lifetime, 1 in 3 women, around 736 million, are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner – a number that has […]
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WHO expert panel strongly advises against use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent covid-19
March 2, 2021 – The anti-inflammatory drug hydroxychloroquine should not be used to prevent infection in people who do not have covid-19, say a WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) panel of international experts in The BMJ today. Their strong recommendation is based on high certainty evidence from six randomised controlled trials involving over 6,000 participants with and […]
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1 in 4 people projected to have hearing problems by 2050
March 2, 2021 – Nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide ─ or 1 in 4 people ─ will be living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050, warns the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first World Report on Hearing, released today. At least 700 million of these people will require access to ear and hearing care […]
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COVAX announces new agreement, plans for first vaccine deliveries
Geneva/Oslo January 22, 2021 – COVAX, the global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, regardless of income level, today announced the signing of an advance purchase agreement with Pfizer for up to 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine candidate, which has already received WHO emergency use listing. Rollout […]
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WHO issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine
December 31, 2020 – The World Health Organization (WHO) today listed the Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for emergency use, making the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine the first to receive emergency validation from WHO since the outbreak began a year ago. The WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) opens the door for countries to expedite their own regulatory approval processes […]
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WHO: SARS-CoV-2 Variant – United Kingdom
December 22, 2020 – On 14 December 2020, authorities of the United Kingdom (UK) reported to WHO that a new SARS-CoV-2 variant was identified through viral genomic sequencing. This variant is referred to as SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 (Variant Under Investigation, year 2020, month 12, variant 01). Initial analysis indicates that the variant may spread more […]
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WHO and Wikimedia Foundation expand access to trusted information about COVID-19 on Wikipedia
Geneva, Switzerland, October 22, 2020 — The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that administers Wikipedia, announced today a collaboration to expand the public’s access to the latest and most reliable information about COVID-19. The collaboration will make trusted, public health information available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license at a […]
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Kim Sledge and the World We Want partner with WHO Foundation to re-record unity anthem “We Are Family”
LONDON, GENEVA, NEW YORK, October 19, 2020 – A special edition cover of Sister Sledge’s timeless hit We Are Family will be released in a new and inspiring call for global solidarity to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and to generate proceeds to address the most pressing global health challenges of our time. The initiative […]
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WHO: Boost for global response to COVID-19 as economies worldwide formally sign up to COVAX facility
September 21, 2020 – 64 higher income economies have joined the COVAX Facility, a global initiative that brings together governments and manufacturers to ensure eventual COVID-19 vaccines reach those in greatest need, whoever they are and wherever they live. These 64 economies include commitments from 35 economies as well as the European Commission which will procure […]
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Coronavirus Global Response: Access to COVID-19 Tools-Accelerator Facilitation Council holds inaugural meeting
September 10, 2020 – Today Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, and Dr Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, co-hosted the inaugural meeting of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator Facilitation Council. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa and H.E. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of […]
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New COVID-19 Law Lab to provide vital legal information and support for the global COVID-19 response
July 22, 2020 – Launching today, the COVID-19 Law Lab initiative gathers and shares legal documents from over 190 countries across the world to help states establish and implement strong legal frameworks to manage the pandemic. The goal is to ensure that laws protect the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities and that they […]
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WHO discontinues hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir trials for COVID-19
July 4, 2020 – WHO today accepted the recommendation from the Solidarity Trial’s International Steering Committee to discontinue the trial’s hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir arms. The Solidarity Trial was established by WHO to find an effective COVID-19 treatment for hospitalized patients. The International Steering Committee formulated the recommendation in light of the evidence for hydroxychloroquine vs […]
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WHO: Historic health assembly ends with global commitment to COVID-19 response
May 19, 2020 – At today’s meeting of the 73rd World Health Assembly —its first-ever to be held virtually—delegates adopted a landmark resolution to bring the world together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution, co-sponsored by more than 130 countries, was adopted by consensus. It calls for the intensification of efforts to control the pandemic, […]
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Joint statement by WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
April 20, 2020 – COVID-19 has rapidly progressed to become a global pandemic, causing unprecedented, far-reaching impact on the health, social and economic well-being of communities around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO) are committed to responding effectively to the situation, working together with other international organizations and our respective […]
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Live from WHO Headquarters – COVID-19 daily press briefing 15 April 2020
April 15, 2020 – Originally broadcast live on 15 April 2020, the daily press briefing on coronavirus COVID-19, direct from WHO Headquarters, Geneva Switzerland with Dr Tedros WHO Director-General, Dr Micheal Ryan, Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Programme, and Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Technical lead, Health Emergencies Programme.