The World Health Organization is calling for us not to let our guard down. At a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the head of the World Health Organization warned the world: “The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet.”
“As the virus spreads, we must push it back,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, sending a message to leaders of countries experiencing an increase in outbreaks. As the number of hospitalizations increases and Covid-19 transmission increases, governments must publish tried and tested measures such as wearing masks, improving ventilation, and testing and treatment protocols. »
The virus continues to spread freely
The number of Covid cases worldwide has jumped by 30% in the past two weeks – a rise primarily driven by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariables, Dr Michael Ryan, the WHO’s chief emergencies officer, said during the press conference. . As of July 11, the World Health Organization had identified more than 552.5 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, including 232.3 million in Europe, for more than 6.3 million deaths since the start of the pandemic. According to Our World in Data, as of the same date, 61.3% of the world’s population had a full vaccination schedule, while 66.8% had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Dr. Ryan also pointed to the lifting of health and social distancing measures, as well as a decrease in checks, which complicates the epidemic monitoring process. “The virus continues to spread freely, and countries are not allocating the burden of disease effectively according to their capabilities, whether for hospitalizations for severe cases or the increasing number of people in the post-Covid case, often referred to as Covid Long,” Dr. Tedros added.
Covid remains a “public health emergency of international concern”
The two leaders of the World Health Organization spoke on the sidelines of the World Health Organization’s announcement of the results of the recent Covid-19 emergency committee meeting, which took place last Friday. Thus, the United Nations agency declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a “public health emergency of international concern”, the organization’s highest level of preparedness, following a unanimous decision by the committee.
The committee notes the decline in genetic screening and sequencing, which makes it “increasingly difficult” to assess the impact of Covid-19 variants, and stresses the “inadequate current surveillance” of the epidemic. In particular, the Committee notes the lack of implementation of appropriate public health measures in areas affected by the recurrence of cases.
