Covid-19: World Health Organisation reports 9.2 million cases

More than 9.1 million cases of Covid-19 worldwide have been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and more than 470 000 deaths.

The organisation expects to reach a total of 10 million cases within the next week.

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“This is a sober reminder that even as we continue research into vaccines and therapeutics, we have an urgent responsibility to do everything we can with the tools we have now to suppress transmission and save lives,” said WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

He said several reports indicate the vital role of oxygen in treating patients with severe and critical Covid-19.

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“Patients with severe and critical Covid-19 cannot get enough oxygen into their blood by breathing normally. They need higher concentrations of oxygen and support to get it into their lungs. Left untreated, severe Covid-19 deprives cells and organs of the oxygen they need, which ultimately leads to organ failure and death.”

WHO estimates that at the current rate of about 1 million new cases a week, the world needs about 620 000 cubic meters of oxygen a day, which is about 88 000 large cylinders.

Dr Tedros said several countries are experiencing difficulties in obtaining oxygen concentrators.

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“80 per cent of the market is owned by just a few companies, and demand is currently outstripping supply. WHO and our UN partners are working with manufacturers across the world through a variety of private sector networks to buy oxygen concentrators for countries that need them most.”

He announced that WHO bought 14 000 oxygen concentrators, which will be sent to 120 countries in the coming weeks.

The organisation also identified a further 170 000 concentrators that can be available over the next six months with a value of US$100 million dollars.
In addition, WHO has bought 9 800 pulse oximeters, a simple device used to monitor oxygen in a patient’s blood which are being prepared for shipment.

Another challenge is that many patients with critical disease need a higher flow rate of oxygen than is produced by most commercially available concentrators.

To address this challenge, the organisation is supporting several countries to buy equipment that will enable them to generate their own concentrated oxygen in larger amounts.

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