World poised to see 100m cases, WHO chief says

GENEVA－The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is expected to hit the grim milestone of 100 million within this week, said the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Globally, as of 9:41 am CET on Tuesday, there were more than 98.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with over 2.12 million deaths, the latest data from the WHO showed.

"A year ago today, fewer than 1,500 cases of COVID-19 had been reported to WHO, including just 23 cases outside China. This week, we expect to reach 100 million reported cases," Tedros said at a WHO news conference on Monday.

"Numbers can make us numb to what they represent: every death is someone's parent, someone's partner, someone's child, someone's friend," he added, calling for vaccination of health workers and older people to be underway in all countries within the first 100 days of 2021.

He also quoted two reports to show that without equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, the world would have to face not only a catastrophic moral failure, but also an economic failure.

In a separate development, the United Nations said on Monday that global economic recovery remains precarious in 2021 and a rebound of 4.7 percent would barely offset the losses inflicted by 2020.

The world economy shrank by 4.3 percent in 2020, over two and half times more than during the global financial crisis of 2009. The modest recovery of 4.7 percent expected in 2021 would barely eclipse the losses of 2020, according to the latest World Economic Situation and Prospects report.

The report warns the devastating socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come unless smart investments in economic, societal and climate resilience ensure a robust and sustainable recovery of the global economy.

'Worst crisis'

"We are facing the worst health and economic crisis in 90 years. As we mourn the growing death toll, we must remember that the choices we make now will determine our collective future," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The report underscores that sustained recovery from the pandemic will depend not only on the size of the stimulus measures and the quick rollout of vaccines, but also on the quality and efficacy of these measures to build resilience against future shocks.

"The depth and severity of the unprecedented crisis foreshadows a slow and painful recovery," said UN chief economist Elliott Harris, the assistant secretary-general for economic development.

"We need to start boosting longer-term investments that chart the path toward a more resilient recovery－accompanied by a fiscal stance that avoids premature austerity."

The report said global trade shrank by an estimated 7.6 percent in 2020 against the backdrop of massive disruptions in global supply chains and tourism flows.

Xinhua - Agencies