In its statement, the WHO went back to the early days of Covid and traced its evolution from a local phenomenon to a global scourge that led to worldwide lockdowns and the eventual successful race to develop vaccines.
“Five years ago, on 31 December 2019, the WHO Country Office in China took a media statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission on their website about cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, China,” the organization said.
“In the weeks, months and years that followed, Covid-19 began to shape our lives and our world,” it continued.
The WHO said it was “moving to work immediately” as 2020 approaches. He recalled how his staff activated emergency systems on January 1 and informed the world three days later.
“By January 9-12, WHO published its first set of comprehensive recommendations for countries, and on January 13, we gathered partners to publish a plan for the first laboratory test for Sars-CoV-2,” the message added.
The WHO said it wanted to “honour the lives changed and lost, recognize those affected by Covid-19 and ongoing Covid, show gratitude to the health workers who have sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from Covid-19 to build a healthier tomorrow.”
