Jon GarfieldMay 7, 2023
Kai Kupferschmidt

“One of the greatest tragedies of COVID-19 is that it didn’t have to be this way,” Tedros said. The tools to detect and respond to pandemics better are available. „But globally, a lack of coordination, a lack of equity and a lack of solidarity meant that those tools were not used as effectively as they could have been. Lives were lost that should not have been.”

https://www.science.org/content/article/who-ends-pandemic-emergency-covid-19-deaths-fall

‘It’s still killing and it’s still changing.’ Ending COVID-19 states of emergency sparks debate

Moves by WHO and U.S. usher pandemic into new phase of disease monitoring, even as coronavirus kills thousands weekly

May 6, 2023 at 11:11amWeb
Show threadjforMay 6, 2023

@kakape

Tedros: “The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about,” he said.

He is describing Ireland (EU).

Show threadCatchingmybreathMay 6, 2023
@fae2535 @kakape way too late for that .. damn them all.
Show threadjforMay 6, 2023
@catchingmybreath @kakape
yes.
Show threadDave MacFarlaneMay 6, 2023
@kakape THAT WAS YOUR JOB TEDROS. THAT IS WHAT YOUR JOB IS SUPPOSED TO BE.
Show threadKate Nyhan is changing serversMay 6, 2023
@kakape
I don't get why he used the past tense. Lives are still being lost that should not be lost. Every person who hasn't been able to access vaccines, every person who has declined vaccination because of misinformation, every case of nosocomial COVID - does Tedros think that's all in the past?
Show threadCatchingmybreathMay 6, 2023
@kdnyhan @kakape our alternative universe 🤦🏼‍♀️
Show threadManifest IronyMay 6, 2023
@kakape
"...a lack of coordination..." If only there was some kind of, um, organization whose mission is to facilitate coordination of the world's pandemic response. Maybe this Tedros guy could head such an organization?
@virome_girl
Show threadhammancheezMay 6, 2023
@kakape the antivaxxer social media murderers-for-likes won. that's all there is to it, their youtube ad revenue was far more important than truth
Show threadDeanBaker13May 7, 2023
@kakape yeah, like we could have had full sharing of technology for tests, treatments, and vaccines, but the rich countries were so worried that some pharma company might lose out on some of its profits, they nixed the idea.
Show threadDeanBaker13May 7, 2023
@kakape And, our major news outlets are so deferential to the pharmaceutical industry, not one ran a piece even discussing the possibility
Show threadDeanBaker13May 8, 2023
@kakape And, just to lay out the issue a bit more concretely. We could have even compensated the companies after the fact. Would they get as much money? Who knows, but life is tough in worldwide pandemic.
Show threadDeanBaker13May 8, 2023
@kakape I suppose there is the argument that everyone would realize that without patent monopolies and related protections, vaccines, drugs, and everything else are really cheap. And, this could make it more difficult for the drug companies to charge patent monopoly prices in the future. I can see why they would be willing to see millions die to avoid this risk.