WHO shares ‘welcome’ news on Covid but still has a warning
1 min read 31 Aug 2022, 10:47 PM ISTWith colder weather approaching in the northern hemisphere, it’s reasonable to expect an increase in hospitalizations and deaths, WHO chief said
PremiumNew covid cases and fatilities related to infection continued to fall globally, World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Wednesday describing it be a “welcome decline". However, the UN health agency warned that the hospitalizations and deaths are likely to spike again with the onset of winters in the Northern Hemisphere and a possible emergence of a more dangerous new COVID-19 variant.
We are now seeing a welcome decline in reported COVID deaths globally. However, with colder weather approaching in the northern hemisphere, it’s reasonable to expect an increase in hospitalizations and deaths in the coming months, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding, “Subvariants of Omicron are more transmissible than their predecessors, & the risk of even more transmissible & more dangerous variants remains."
Tedros said vaccination rates, even in rich countries, were still too low, noting that 30% of health workers and 20% of older people remain unimmunized.
“These vaccination gaps pose a risk to all of us," he said. “Please get vaccinated if you are not and a booster if it’s recommended that you have one."
He further warned that even those who are vaccinated should follow the simple covid norms to reduce their own risk of infection, and reduce the risk of infecting someone else. “Avoid crowds if you can, especially indoors. If you are in a crowded indoor space, wear a mask and open a window. And continue to clean your hands, which will help to protect you and others from all kinds of viruses and bacteria"
"Living with COVID19 doesn’t mean pretending the pandemic is over. If you go walking in the rain without an umbrella, pretending it’s not raining won’t help you. You’ll still get wet. Likewise, pretending a deadly virus is not circulating is a huge risk."
WHO on Wednesday conveyed there were 4.5 million new COVID-19 cases reported last week, a 16% drop from the previous week. Deaths were also down by 13%, with about 13,500 fatalities. WHO said COVID-19 infections dropped everywhere in the world while deaths decreased everywhere except for Southeast Asia, where they climbed by 15% and in the Western Pacific, where they rose by 3%.
