THE SQUIZ
That sound you could hear around the globe yesterday was a collective “woohoo” as World Health Organisation boss Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the end of the COVID pandemic is in sight. “We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic,” he said. But he says “we are not there yet” and has urged nations to drive numbers down by vaccinating at-risk groups, and he’s asked officials to continue their testing and sequencing regimes. “If we don’t take this opportunity now, we run the risk of more variants, more deaths, more disruption and more uncertainty, so let’s seize this opportunity,” he said.

WOOHOO…
Yeah, right? Experts say his remarks are the most optimistic since the United Nations agency declared the global pandemic in March 2020 – and hasn’t there been a lot of water under the bridge since then… There have been 10.1 million reported cases here in Oz and more than 610 million cases globally – and 14,422 deaths here and 6.5 million around the world. We’ve also seen the biggest vaccination campaign ever seen, with more than 12 billion COVID doses administered worldwide, including 63.2 million jabs here in Australia. What’s prompted the hopeful update from the WHO is the downward trend in COVID-related deaths. Last week was the lowest since March 2020, with a decrease of more than 20% compared to the week before. 

CAN I GET A HALLELUJAH?
Well, before we get too carried away, we’re not there yet… Dr Tedros pulled out his best sporting metaphor to outline the situation he says we’re now in. “A marathon runner does not stop when the finish line comes into view. She runs harder with all the energy she has left. So must we,” he said. And in Australia, it’s not over yet with our government leaders to discuss lifting mandatory isolation periods at the end of the month. There’s also concern about the continuing impact on those living in aged care facilities, with more than 3,000 people dying with COVID in nursing homes this year – that’s almost triple the number of deaths in the first 2 years of the pandemic. But more broadly, an updated survey out yesterday showed more Aussies reckon their lives have improved this year, with big gains for 18-24yos. And that’s something that definitely deserves a woohoo…