Covid-19: WHO Issues Urgent Alert As Cases Rise Across 84 Nations
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued an urgent alert over the rising number of COVID-19 cases in 84 countries recently. The organisation reported an increase in the number of positive cases and has issued a warning for the emergence of more severe variants of the coronavirus.
Based on the data across 84 countries reports, the percentage of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been on the rise over several weeks, said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove of WHO. Test positivity is above 10 percent, although it fluctuates based on the area. “In Europe, percent positivity is above 20 percent,” added Dr. Van Kerkhove.
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New waves of infection have been recorded in Europe, the Western Pacific, and the Americas, according to a WHO release. Spikes in Covid-19 cases including the Olympics, where nearly 40 athletes have been tested positive, has sparked concerns.
As the coronavirus continues to evolve and spread, there is an increasing risk of a more severe strain appearing that could potentially evade detection systems and be unresponsive to medical intervention, it stated.
WHO admitted that the availability of vaccines has decreased over the past 12–18 months as a result of reducing the number of producers of Covid-19 vaccines. “But let’s be very clear, there is a market for COVID-19 vaccines that are out there,” Dr. Van Kerkhove added.
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Issuing an alert for the general public to reduce the risk of infection, WHO’s emphasises the importance of getting a Covid-19 vaccine in the last 12 months, especially if the individual is in an at-risk group.
