Read the passage below and answer the question nos. 1-7 that follow:
As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health leaders must take stock of where we are and how we can end the crippling hold that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has over us all. All pandemics end. The COVID-19 pandemic will end too, but it is not over yet. Already we have endured two years of missed opportunities, missed education, missed connections with family and loved ones. Without action, 2022 could be the same. But it doesn't have to be.
The virus will continue to affect our lives and livelihoods unless the global community collectively addresses inequitable access to vaccines, therapeutic agents and diagnostics, as well as the fact that we are giving the SARS-CoV-2 Virus the rooin it needs to thrive through uneven and inconsistent international as well as national policies to reduce transmission, some of which are undermined by division and politicization. At the same time, governments must invest in preparedness, prevention and in science.
One of the greatest scientific achievements during the pandemic has been the speed of the development of several safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. Robust data continue to show that COVID-19 vaccines are very effective in preventing people from getting seriously ill and dying. This protection seems to be maintained against the more transmissible Delta variant and over time.
However, we continue to see persistent inequities in access to COVID- 19 vaccines. Of the more than 7 billion doses administered so far, less than 3% have been in countries in the African continent. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that those at higher risk of severe disease and health workers be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination in all countries. The number of doses administered by the end of September 2021 was enough to have covered 40% of the population in all countries. The failure to provide access of sufficient doses of vaccines to low- and middle- income countries is not only unethical but also epidemiologically and economically unwise, and it is prolonging the pandemic.
Unfortunately, vaccines alone will not end this pandemic, in part because of more transmissible new variants and also because vaccines are primarily designed to protect against severe disease and death. The more the virus is allowed to circulate, the more opportunity the virus has to evolve. Throughout the course of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 has shown its ability to become better adapted to the human host, with variants Alpha and Delta demonstrating enhanced transmissibility. One of the biggest unknowns in 2022 will be how this evolution continues.
In 2022, epidemiological and genomic surveillance efforts should be expanded in all countries to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants and ensure that robust testing systems are linked to public health action. As we track the evolution of the virus. WHO and partners will continue to closely assess and monitor the effect of virus evolution on public health and medical countermeasures, including diagnostics, therapeutic agents and COVID-19 vaccines.
Preparedness for the next pandemic or pandemic pathogen does not begin when the current emergency is over. It begins now with investing in integrated respiratory disease surveillance, a well-protected work force, early clinical care, access to health care, better personal protective equipment further research and development for diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, and addressing long-standing inequalities. This will not only help to control COVID-19 but also ensure that we are in a better position to confront the next outbreak.