pandemic will end this year, of course with one condition, the 70% vaccination (target is achieved) by mid this year around June, July".
Tedros was speaking during a visit to Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, which has produced the first mRNA Covid vaccine made in Africa using Moderna's sequence.
Last month also, the WHO boss had made a similar claim on Twitter. "This year, we could end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic if we vaccinate 70% of the population of every country, with a focus on the most at-risk groups, and use all strategies and tools comprehensively and equitably," he said in a post.
Previously, the head of emergencies at the WHO, Dr Michael Ryan, had said that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic — deaths, hospitalisations, and lockdowns — could be over this year if huge inequities in vaccinations and medicines are addressed quickly.