The Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, announced that 10,000 COVID‑19 deaths were recorded worldwide in a single week. He made the statement during a virtual media briefing on global health issues, which was monitored by our correspondent on Wednesday. Although hospitalisations and deaths have declined overall, Dr. Ghebreyesus stressed that “10,000 deaths a week is 10,000 too many for a disease that can be prevented and treated.” He noted that sub‑variants of Omicron remain dominant globally, posing a concern because of their increased transmissibility and the fact that all sub‑variants can be lethal. “We have the tools to save lives and end COVID‑19 as a global health emergency this year. We must continue to use them all, and use them well,” he added.
In Nigeria, a total of 266,583 COVID‑19 cases and 3,155 deaths had been recorded across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of 10 February 2023. Globally, the WHO reported 756,135,075 confirmed cases of COVID‑19 and 6,841,152 deaths as of 14 February.
Regarding the earthquake in Syria, Dr. Ghebreyesus described the dire situation faced by survivors, who are enduring freezing conditions without adequate shelter, heating, food, clean water, or medical care. He observed neighbours sharing bedding, clothing, and food, health workers providing medicines and consultations, and WHO teams—many of whom were themselves affected by the quake—continuing their work. Visits to health centres revealed that a decade of war had already left the health system unable to cope with an emergency of this magnitude. As he travelled from Aleppo to Damascus, he saw towns destroyed and abandoned, underscoring the legacy of conflict.
The WHO is providing care to survivors for injuries and disabilities sustained in the earthquake, as well as treatment for hypothermia, mental‑health and psychosocial needs, the heightened risk of infectious diseases, and routine health requirements. The agency has also shipped medicines and supplies to Turkey and Syria to support care for more than half a million people, including urgent surgical needs.
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