The World Health Organisation's chief has called on everyone to keep fighting Covid-19, warning that while we may be sick of battling the pandemic, the virus is “not tired of us”.
Speaking to WHO's main annual assembly, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also hailed the election of Joe Biden as the next US president, voicing hope it could signal tighter global cooperation to end the pandemic.
Tedros, speaking from quarantine after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, warned that the virus preys on weakness. “It preys on those in weaker health, but it preys on other weaknesses too: inequality, division, denial, wishful thinking and wilful ignorance,” he said.The World Health Organisation chief has welcomed efforts to strengthen the Geneva-based body through reform and said that it was looking forward to working closely with the administration of United States President-elect Joe Biden, Reuters reported.
WHO’s funding must become more flexible and predictable to end a “major misalignment” between expectations and available resources, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, citing reform efforts by France, Germany and the European Union.
Tedros urged the international community to recapture a sense of common purpose, adding: “In that spirit we congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and we look forward to working with this administration very closely.
Global stocks surged to record highs after Pfizer said its experimental vaccine was more than 90 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19, Reuters has reported.
Markets rallied as the data was seen as a victory in the fight against a pandemic that has killed over one million people and roiled the world economy.
The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 49 countries, and the S&P 500 hit all-time highs.Montenegro's capital Podgorica is to go under a curfew as officials try to stem a coronavirus outbreak a week after huge crowds attended the funeral of a top bishop, AFP reported.
Residents of Podgorica, as well as the central city of Cetinje, will be forbidden from visiting other households at any time of day, or leaving their homes between 10pm and 5am, according to new rules.
Restaurants and bars will also be shut except for hotels and takeaway services.
The tightened measures come after virus cases skyrocketed in the small Adriatic nation in recent weeks, putting the rate of infection per 100,000 people among the highest in Europe.New Year's Eve fireworks over Sydney Harbour will go ahead this year but will be shortened to just a few minutes and the city precinct will be restricted to those with restaurant, cafe and hotel bookings in order to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Reuters reported that prime harbourside spots, normally coveted by thousands of revellers to watch the traditional 12-minute pyrotechnic display, will be set aside for health workers who have been treating Covid-19 patients and firefighters.
Although Australia has for weeks recorded just daily single-digit new cases of Covid-19, New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said crowd numbers will be limited for the event in areas that typically draw thousands of viewers.
