Pandemic Intelligence Chief Brings Data, AI to Omicron Fight
By collecting and sharing information, the new WHO group aims to fuel collective action on Covid and future health crises.
Visitors queue for vaccines at the Discovery Ltd. mass Covid-19 vaccination site in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Dec. 9.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/BloombergJust days after Chikwe Ihekweazu took the reins of the World Health Organization’s new pandemic intelligence hub, a new and heavily-mutated variant of the coronavirus appeared on scientists’ radar. Omicron prompted countries to close their doors to southern Africa and threatened to widen an already worrying gap in access to vaccines.
Now Ihekweazu, a veteran epidemiologist who previously led the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, aims to counter global discord with data. The center in Berlin plans to collect and share information to help governments predict, detect and respond to health emergencies more quickly, relying on artificial intelligence and other tools. He hopes to spur collaboration at a time when many countries are putting their own interests first.