It's been five years since the world woke up to news of a 'viral pneumonia' in the Chinese city of Wuhan. This went on to be known as Covid-19, an illness that spread rapidly across the world, claiming millions of lives and effectively changing the way most of us live.

This also led to lockdowns in South Africa and travel restrictions around the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in the weeks, months and years that followed the December 31 statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, what unfolded came to shape our lives and world.

"At WHO, we went to work immediately as the new year dawned. WHO employees activated emergency systems on January 1, 2020, and informed the world on January 4. By January 9 - 12, WHO had published its first set of comprehensive guidance for countries, and on January 13, we brought together partners to publish the blueprint of the first SARS-CoV-2 laboratory test," the organization said.

Lives lost

"As we mark this milestone, let’s take a moment to honour the lives changed and lost, recognise those who are suffering from Covid-19 and long Covid, express gratitude to the health workers who sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from Covid-19 to build a healthier tomorrow," the WHO said.

In a statement, the WHO said it continues to call on China to share data and allow it access to understand the origins of Covid-19.

Speaking at a recent press conference, WHO director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, believes this question cannot be given a straight yes or no answer.

Is the world better prepared for another pandemic?

"The answer is yes and no. The world would still face some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that gave Covid-19 a foothold five years ago, but the world has also learned many of the painful lessons the pandemic taught us and has taken significant steps to strengthen its defences against future epidemics and pandemics," he said.

Ghebreyesus said together with the World Bank, WHO has established the Pandemic Fund, which finances 19 projects across 37 countries, including the establishment of the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub in South Africa as well as partnerships to strengthen laboratory capacity to detect and sequence pathogens.

"To improve equitable access to life-saving tools, we established an interim Medical Countermeasures Network. With partners, we established the Global Health Emergency Corps, and in May this year, the World Health Assembly adopted a package of amendments to the international Health Regulations," he said.

Ghebreyesus said WHO member states continue to negotiate the WHO Pandemic Agreement and are committed to finalising it by the next WHO Assembly in May next year.

In the years since 2020, several variants have been discovered, the latest being the XEC variant, which experts believe could be behind a surge in cases.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the variant has comprised 45% of SARS-CoV-2 infections since December 8.

seanne.rall@iol.co.za

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