Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Sa’eedi, Minister of Health and First Deputy Member of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO), took part in the virtual extraordinary meeting of the WHO Executive Council.
The two-day meeting addresses the latest developments related to the response to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as streamlining global efforts to combat the pandemic, identifying its main developments and the mechanism for tackling such developments.
The Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response reviewed a report on the gained experiences and lessons from the health response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which is coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), in addition to the panel's key recommendations on capacity building to pandemic control, prevention and preparedness at the global level and the importance of reinforcing the health emergency program.
Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Sa’eedi, Minister of Health delivered a speech during the meeting on behalf of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries, in which he said, “The governments of the Eastern Mediterranean Region countries are working hard to contain the Covid-19 pandemic and reduce health risks and social, economic and political impacts”.
He also added, “The countries of the region have prepared very early for the pandemic and made remarkable progress in combating it. The number of infections declined after imposing measures that resulted in the successful containment of the virus and a steady decrease in the number of cases. More than 40 million people had been tested in the Eastern Mediterranean Region”.
He indicated, “More than two million people have recovered from this disease, but some of these countries are currently suffering from an alarming increase in the number of infections. The number of new cases in some countries ranged from one thousand to three thousand new cases in 24 hours”.
He stressed that health-care workers should be careful, as they are an important source for combating the pandemic, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. He affirmed the need to protect themselves so that they can combat Covid- 19 and serve other patients.
Dr. Ahmed al-Saeedi, Minister of Health and First Deputy Member of the Executive Board of the WHO concluded his speech by noting that research related to obtaining safe and effective vaccines is still ongoing. He elaborated that three countries in the region have reached the Phase 3 clinical trial, stressing the need to ensure that the vaccine is distributed in a fair and equitable manner to all health-care workers and to all countries of the region.ONA