[10 Dec 2024] Opening Remarks from Dr Tedros at yesterday’s @who.int media briefing: “We cannot talk about COVID in the past tense. “It’s still with us, it still causes acute disease and Long COVID, and it still kills. “The world might want to forget about COVID-19, but we cannot afford to.” - ThreadSky

catinthehat.bsky.social • 77 days ago

[10 Dec 2024] Opening Remarks from Dr Tedros at yesterday’s @who.int media briefing:

“We cannot talk about COVID in the past tense.

“It’s still with us, it still causes acute disease and Long COVID, and it still kills.

“The world might want to forget about COVID-19, but we cannot afford to.”

Comments

elypaul.bsky.social•77 days ago

Although this was a "media briefing," I expect exactly zero coverage of these opening remarks by any mainstream media (in the United States, at least).

irenelomis.bsky.social•77 days ago

Rather naive of WHO to announce in 2023 that covid was no longer an emergency and not anticipate the “woo hoo!! Back to normal!! No more masks!! No more testing!! It’s all over” response from govts. Unbelievably naive.

cozamarsh.bsky.social•77 days ago

Actually, during the press briefing at which they announced the decision, they acknowledged the likely consequences & impact the decision would have globally.

irenelomis.bsky.social•77 days ago

Then the “no longer an emergency” announcement was reckless: 18 months on and people are being infected, reinfected + immune systems compromised. Knock-on global impacts (health + economic) for decades. Acknowledging these impacts and surrendering to them anyway was reckless.

ladyinthestudio.bsky.social•14 days ago

They were following their normal protocol. With other disease/infection outbreaks it just never got in the media. WHO did nothing wrong. Blame the media and governments.

rhiannok.bsky.social•77 days ago

All said while not wearing a mask

cozamarsh.bsky.social•77 days ago

The only explanation WHO "leaders" have ever given for not wearing masks during their press briefings & social media Q&As is based on droplet transmission, i.e. they are sitting a sufficient distance away from one another. So much misinformation that has resulted in untold, preventable health harms.

davidashleydavies.bsky.social•76 days ago

They’ve never mentioned that they’re in a beautifully ventilated auditorium?

cozamarsh.bsky.social•76 days ago

with state-of-the-art filtration?

davidashleydavies.bsky.social•76 days ago

Upgraded in 2020, from what I’ve seen.

mlchr.bsky.social•76 days ago

All of it, Westminster, Buckingham, Davos...

annekalimera.bsky.social•77 days ago

Maybe Davos Standard. Everyone in the room tested and air filters. At least that's what I hope for.

rhiannok.bsky.social•77 days ago

They just don’t care. If you’re not gonna model the behaviour then it’s not going to be adopted by people or taken seriously

juliemango.bsky.social•22 days ago

🙏🏽📌

ee1ss1.bsky.social•77 days ago

📌

ladyinthestudio.bsky.social•14 days ago

Thanks, I'd been looking for this

shitty-ally.bsky.social•77 days ago

Gee, maybe declaring it over was bad then WHO? 🤦

undinium.bsky.social•77 days ago

They didn't.

shitty-ally.bsky.social•77 days ago

May 5th, 2023, they declared the emergency over.

undinium.bsky.social•77 days ago

But NOT the pandemic.

shitty-ally.bsky.social•77 days ago

Every single country took that as a signal to abandon the efforts to contain it though. It was a wildly irresponsible move that undercut anyone trying to make a difference.

undinium.bsky.social•77 days ago

That's the countries governments fault. 🤷‍♀️
Uninformed, naive and bent over for the economy.

benecal.bsky.social•65 days ago

📌

brianamillslmft.bsky.social•77 days ago

📌

gringene.org•77 days ago

Says the organisation that *still* hasn't deleted their misinformation tweet:

https://x.com/WHO/status/1243972193169616898

mariesnyder.bsky.social•76 days ago

Where did you find the video? Got the transcript, but I can't find the full media briefing video anywhere. Curious that @who.int hasn't even posted this!

underpsi.bsky.social•17 days ago

When did WHO declare it airborne again?

catinthehat.bsky.social•77 days ago

Link to the full transcript of the WHO Director-General's (@DrTedros) opening remarks at the media briefing on 10 December 2024 can be found here:

https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---10-december-2024

catinthehat.bsky.social•77 days ago

During this press briefing, Dr Tedros also announced that the WHO had released a series of UPDATED policy briefs outlining essential actions that policy-makers should implement to work towards comprehensive COVID-19 prevention & control.

https://who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-policy-briefs

cozamarsh.bsky.social•77 days ago

How serious can this "update" be for "comprehensive COVID-19 prevention & control" when IPC recommendations are limited to "suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases"? This statement alone denies asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 transmission, which by now we know, with certainty, is significant.

omatine.bsky.social•74 days ago

Too late. Money makes the world go round. Risk communication? People don't even want to know. "Covid is airborne? Clean air? Masking, air filters, far UV? Don"t bother me. I want to live my life!" Lemmings!

kerfufflei.bsky.social•77 days ago

I am not seeing anything on post acute sequelae/Long Covid in the docs. In fact it is all quite upbeat about immunity and reduction in serious disease. Very disappointing.

kiannha.bsky.social•77 days ago

Declare SARS2 a public health emergency. It was a mistake to remove the emergency state, Sent the wrong message and that's when all countries felt permission to "return to normal"

cozamarsh.bsky.social•77 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/cozamarsh.bsky.social/post/3lczy66v53s2w

isanthropia.bsky.social•77 days ago

Yes. What even is this WHO flurry of too little to late? We’re in this mess from the moment Tedros sculpted his words to clarify it wasn’t airborne. If their economic overlords now recognize that SARS2 is too much of a drain then they can’t use the WHO to turn the ship without a major mea culpa.

brebis.bsky.social•77 days ago

🎯

ploddinghistorian.bsky.social•45 days ago

I will check, but I can pretty much guarantee that the Australian government has done none of this. Mention COVID-19 in Australia and you either get people screaming at you that it’s over and take off your mask, & in politics…

Cue the sound of crickets…

ploddinghistorian.bsky.social•45 days ago

Thank you for the link to the transcript. I just screenshot your post with the video and emailed it to myself with a note to find the transcript. Great minds thinking alike. Although I can’t really call my mind great any more seeing as I’ve got long COVID brain damage. Plus perimenopausal brain fog!

speckle48.bsky.social•77 days ago

📌

speckle48.bsky.social•77 days ago

Did I miss our media tackling the government about this? @shaunlintern.bsky.social @pippacrerar.bsky.social
Please can we get some answers from Labour on how they’ll improve the dreadful response we now have to the ongoing pandemic?