The COVID-19 pandemic has affected older people disproportionately, especially those living in long-term care facilities. WHO has published a policy brief on preventing and managing COVID-19 across long-term care services.

Dr Tedros, in his media briefing yesterday, reminded people not to let their guard down ‘we will not be going back to the “old normal”. The pandemic has already changed the way we live our lives. Part of adjusting to the “new normal” is finding ways to live our lives safely.’

In a joint effort to enhance research and development related to the use of traditional medicines for COVID-19 in Africa, the WHO Regional Office for Africa and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have launched an expert advisory committee to provide independent scientific advice and support to countries on the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine therapies.

Approximately one third of people in the Americas are at increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness due to underlying health conditions. To help confront this, the WHO Regional Office of the Americas/PAHO, in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, have developed a new data model that provides a more accurate picture of the prevalence of underlying health conditions in the Americas.

In his regular media briefing,WHO Director-General Dr Tedros reiterated the importance of contact tracing in all communities affected by COVID-19, stating that “No country can get control of its epidemic if it doesn’t know where the virus is”.