FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Curbing transmission of Omicron in the next few weeks is essential. GPMB calls for urgent action to slow the spread
Geneva, 15 December 2021.
The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) issued the following statement today:
“We are deeply concerned by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. The window of opportunity to curb its spread and reduce its impact is closing fast and this should be a wake-up call for urgent action. If governments and the public continue to focus on the severity of the variant, which is yet to be determined, there is a real risk that we miss the opportunity to prevent and slow down the spread of Omicron.
“The spread of Omicron is faster than any of the other variants, based on what we are seeing from countries such as Denmark, South Africa and the UK, where immunity - natural or acquired through vaccines - is high. We can therefore predict that the new variant will spread very rapidly globally, disproportionately impacting communities with limited access to treatments and vaccines, and different age and health profiles. This will put enormous strain on health systems everywhere. It is essential that governments take the opportunity to act immediately and collectively now to prepare.
“As we continue to collect more evidence and data on the severity of the new variant and the effectiveness of the vaccines available, we urge countries to use this time wisely and prepare. Optimistic predictions are based on limited evidence, bringing false comfort and lulling some countries into a state of inaction. We cannot make the same mistakes again.
“Therefore, the GPMB is calling on countries to:
- Immediately enforce public health measures with proven effectiveness, including physical distancing, testing and isolation, mask wearing, hand hygiene and improving indoor ventilation, be vigilant about misinformation, and encourage the public to comply with measures to slow the spread of the variant and protect their communities.
- Avoid unnecessary measures that harm communities without increasing the chances to control transmission, such as indiscriminate closures of schools or travel and trade bans.
- Mitigate the potential negative impacts of a new wave of COVID-19 cases by supporting continuity of health and social services. Prepare health systems with an emphasis on ensuring equitable access to both vaccines and countermeasures, such as PPE, testing kits, oxygen, and treatments.
- Rapidly scale up surveillance and share real-time data with the WHO.
- Act in the shared international interest to end the pandemic everywhere by addressing the huge inequity in access vaccines and other countermeasures.
- Ensure the pharmaceutical industry works closely with international public health agencies to ensure that vaccine and treatment development and production are based on the principles of equity and science, and not driven by market forces.
- Invest together in R&D and distributed manufacturing for both the next generation Covid drugs and vaccines and also for future pandemic diseases, so we can break this cycle of variants, restrictions, and panic, and have the tools the world needs to counter health threats.
“Curbing transmission of Omicron in the next few weeks is essential. Acting fast and erring on the side of caution is the right way forward. If we don’t act now, it will be too late.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board is an independent monitoring and accountability body to ensure preparedness for global health crises. It was co-convened by the Director-General of the World Health Organization and the President of the World Bank Group in 2018.
- Board members are Elhadj As Sy (co-chair), Dr Victor Dzau, Dr Chris Elias, Sir Jeremy Farrar, Henrietta Fore, Dr George Gao, Professor Ilona Kickbusch, Dr Daniel Ngamije, H.E. Veronika Skvortsova, Dr Yasuhiro Suzuki, Dr Jeanette Vega Morales, and Professor VijayRaghavan.
- More information about the work of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, including its latest annual report, can be found at: www.gpmb.org