World on verge of defeating pandemic: Harsh Vardhan at WHO

New Delhi: The world is on verge of defeating the coronavirus pandemic by adopting preemptive, proactive and collaborative strategies to combat the virus, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday.

"I thank member nations that despite the wide disparity in their epidemiological trends, we're on verge of defeating pandemic by adopting preemptive, proactive and collaborative strategies," said the Union Health Minister at 148th session of WHO Executive Board (virtual) meeting.

Speaking about the year that was marred by the pandemic, he said, "2020 was the year of science when the best of humanity was shown through the gloom that descended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation demanded setting up of major global collaboration so that scientists could share their expertise. For these governments, business and philanthropic organisations got together to start committing resources."

Reform, to transform the lives of our people!

Today, in my closing remarks at the 148th session of @WHO Exec Board, I appreciated members for acknowledging the need for change & committing to it, in order to accelerate the world's move towards universal health coverage. pic.twitter.com/6zZpHvzofU

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 26, 2021

On the efforts being undertaken globally to fight COVID-19, Harsh Vardhan added: "All member states are doing their utmost to overcome challenges and improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of health care services. But the job isn''t finished here. So we must redouble our commitment to putting an end to the pandemic."

"In the present context, nowhere is safe until everywhere is safe. At the WHO, we have ensured that the low and middle-income countries have access to safe and effective COVID-19 tests, treatment and vaccine."

Over the post-COVID world, he said, "The post-COVID world will be filled with challenges. To overcome them, WHO needs to be a trailblazer, empowered to work towards a new vision that allows it to realise its full potential and strengthen health care systems across member nations."

Harsh Vardhan's statement comes as the worldwide tally of COVID-19 cases surpassed the 100 million mark on Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The United States continues to be the worst affected country with 25,407,414 cases.