Pandemic Fatigue May Cause Negligence In Various Countries

Photo illustration (Max Anderson Jonalo / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of 'pandemic exhaustion' which could strike the world's population, including authorities in various countries. The pandemic has been a long one and the number of cases is soaring non-stop.

"Many countries in the northern hemisphere are seeing an alarming increase in cases and hospitalizations," Tedros told reporters in Geneva, quoted by SCMP, Tuesday, October 27.

"Intensive care units are filling capacity in several places, especially in Europe and North America," he added.

More than 43 million people worldwide have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, more than 1.1 million people died from COVID-19. Tedros said he understands the pandemic fatigue that people feel as a result of restrictions or locks.

“Working from home, children from remote school, not being able to celebrate achievements with friends and family or not being there to mourn a loved one. It is difficult and fatigue is real, "said Tedros.

"We cannot give up ... Leaders must balance the disruption of life and livelihoods with the need to protect health workers and the healthcare system while intensive care fills up," stressed Tedros.

Tedros' remarks came a day after United States President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, told the administration that the focus of the administration had shifted to mitigation, not eradicating COVID-19.

"We will not control the pandemic. We will control for the fact that we are getting vaccines, therapies and other mitigations, ”said Meadows, comparing the more deadly COVID-19 to seasonal flu.

But Trump has denied that he has given up on fighting the spread of COVID-19. Trump insisted that despite the spike in new cases, the COVID-19 pandemic would disappear.

The US remains the country with the most cases of COVID-19 in the world. More than 225,000 Americans have died and cases are rising fast. Saturday October 24 saw the daily record for new COVID-19 cases as two days in a row hit nearly 89,000.

Further spikes are expected as cold weather arrives. WHO emergencies chief Michael Ryan voiced particular concern about the situation in Europe, which in the past week accounted for 46 percent of global cases and nearly a third of global deaths.