Fresh waves of COVID-19 infections show the pandemic is “nowhere near over”, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief warned on Tuesday and voiced concern the virus is “running freely”, AFP reported.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was worried that case numbers were continuing to rise, putting further pressure on stretched health systems and workers.
“New waves of the virus demonstrate again that COVID-19 is nowhere near over,” he was quoted as having told a news conference, adding,
“As the virus pushes at us, we must push back.”
- “The virus is running freely and countries are not effectively managing the disease burden based on their capacity, in terms of both hospitalization for acute cases and the expanding number of people with post-COVID condition, often referred to as Long COVID,” he said.
“As COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations rise, governments must also deploy tried and tested measures like masking, improved ventilation and test and treat protocols,” Tedros insisted.
- The comments come days after the WHO’s emergency committee on COVID-19 met on Friday via video-conference and determined the pandemic remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Source: Arutz Sheva