Expressing concern over the evolving situation in China, the WHO DG Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the WHO is very concerned over the evolving situation in China, with increasing reports of severe disease in the country.

Speaking to the media during a press conference in Geneva on December 21, 2022, the WHO DG said that despite the improvement in the COVID situation, there are still too many uncertainties and gaps for the global community to say the pandemic is over.

“Gaps in surveillance, testing and sequencing mean we do not understand well enough how the virus is changing,” Dr Tedros said.

Stating that gaps in vaccination mean that millions remain at high risk of severe disease and death, the head of the UN Health Agency said that existing gaps regarding the pandemic's origin limit the ability of the global community to prevent such emergencies from happening in future.

“We continue to call on China to share the data and conduct the studies we have requested, which we continue to request,” he added.

Highlighting the year's achievements, Dr Tedros said that along with establishing a new pandemic fund, the nations have committed to negotiating a legally-binding accord on pandemic preparedness and response.

“And we established the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub in South Africa, to give low- and lower-middle income countries the know-how to rapidly produce their own mRNA vaccines,” Dr Tedros said.

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