“We expect to reach a total of 10 million cases within the next week. 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,” Ghebreyesus warned.

He underlined that one of the most effective ways of saving lives is providing oxygen to patients who need it, noting that several news reports published today have highlighted the vital role of oxygen in treating patients with severe and critical COVID-19.

“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.”

“All countries must make to put health first”

Reminding that the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that this year's Hajj will proceed with a limited number of pilgrims of different nationalities who live within the Kingdom, Ghebreyesus stated: “This decision was made based on a risk assessment and analysis of different scenarios, in accordance with WHO’s guidance, to protect the safety of pilgrims and minimize the risk of transmission. WHO supports this decision. We understand that it was not an easy decision to make, and we also understand it is a major disappointment for many Muslims who were looking forward to making their pilgrimage this year. This is another example of the hard choices that all countries must make to put health first. (ILKHA)