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WHO Regional Director's press briefing statement on vaccine development and COVAX Facility for COVID-19
30 September 2020 – COVID-19 is now a part of our daily lives. It is affecting the way we work, learn, communicate and manage our relationships. While people are eager to return to their normal lives, the reality is that the situation is not getting any better. New cases globally and in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are increasing. More than...
Health worker safety: a priority for patient safety
15 September 2020, Cairo ‒ World Patient Safety Day is celebrated each year on 17 September and the theme of this year’s day is “Health worker safety: a priority for patient safety”. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted huge global challenges and has only increased the daily risks faced by health workers in delivering essential health care...
Statement by WHO's Regional Director on a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the Region
15 September 2020 ‒ Today, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is extremely worrying, with more people being infected every day. In some countries, including Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, the significant increase in the number of cases is especially concerning, and highlights an urgent need for more rigorous...
Polio programme accelerates efforts to respond to new polio outbreaks in Sudan and Yemen
Calls for increased unimpeded access to reach children with vaccination and other essential services Joint press statement by Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Amman/Cairo, 11 September 2020 – “The recent vaccine-derived polio...
Statement by the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the importance of preventative measures in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic
10 September 2020 – This week, our Region reached another grim milestone as we surpassed 2 million cases of COVID-19. We are observing developments that remind us again that we must remain extremely vigilant in managing this virus. Several countries that had successfully controlled transmission a few months ago, including Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan...
WHO and partners launch training resource on primary health care practice in the context of COVID-19
6 September 2020, Cairo ‒ A new online training resource on “Primary health care (PHC) practice in the context of COVID-19” has been developed by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and partners and will be launched tomorrow, Monday, 7 September 2020. The online training aims to support PHC personnel in their efforts to maintain...
Statement by WHO's Regional Director on an upsurge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
3 September 2020 – Our Region is close to approaching a new grim milestone of 2 million COVID-19 cases: as of 1 September, the cumulative number of cases in the Region is now more than 1 936 221, with 51 326 deaths. Of greatest concern is a new upsurge in cases in a number of countries, highlighting the negative consequences of lack of adherence...
Statement by WHO's Regional Director on COVID-19 developments in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
28 August 2020 – As of 26 August 2020, a total of 1 862 635 COVID-19 cases has been reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Region since the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which represents 8.0% of the global burden of more than 23 million cases reported to date. Some countries in the Region have seen an upsurge in COVID-19 cases after...
WHO Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari congratulates the African Region on becoming wild poliovirus-free
25 August 2020 - Today, the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission certified WHO's African Region as wild poliovirus-free after 4 years without a case. Finally, the world can breathe a sigh of relief as the scourge of wild poliovirus is certified eradicated from the entire African Region. This historic milestone marks the...
Statement by Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director, on World Humanitarian Day
19 August 2020 – Today, on World Humanitarian Day, I would like to acknowledge the bravery and dedication of humanitarian aid workers and heath staff across the Eastern Mediterranean Region and beyond. Health workers and humanitarians in our Region work under some of the most challenging contexts in the world, where many countries are facing...
