We are now in the early stages of the third wave of COVID-19: WHO chief
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday warned the world about the ‘early stages’ of the COVID-19 third wave amid a delta surge. “Unfortunately … we are now in the early stages of the third wave”, he said. On Wednesday, the WHO chief said the spread of the delta variant, coupled with increased social mobility and inconsistent use of proven public health measures, is increasing both the number of cases and the death toll.
He sounded the alarm at a new reversal of that positive trend, recalling the continued decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths, in recent months by increasing vaccination rates in Europe and North America, reports UN News.
In the meantime, Tedros said, the virus continues to evolve, resulting in more communicable forms.
“The delta variant is now in over 111 countries and we expect it to be the major COVID-19 strain spreading around the world soon, if it hasn’t already,” he said.
Last week marked the fourth consecutive week of rising cases of COVID-19 globally, with all but one of the WHO’s six regions reporting an increase. Deaths are also rising again after a continuous decline of 10 weeks.
Tedros drew the attention of the Emergency Committee on COVID-19 to the ongoing “shocking disparity” in the global distribution of vaccines, as well as unequal access to life-saving equipment, UN News reports.
He reiterated his concern that inequality has created a two-track pandemic – that is, one track for countries with the greatest access to vaccines, which are lifting restrictions and reopening their societies, and a second track for those. For those who do not have vaccines ” Virus Mercy.”
Many countries still have not received any vaccines, and most have not received enough vaccines.
Tedros reiterated WHO’s appeal for a massive push to vaccinate at least 10 percent of every country’s population by September, at least 40 percent by the end of 2021, and at least 70 percent by mid-2022.
Emphasizing that vaccines alone will not stop the pandemic, he called on countries to stick with a “consistent and consistent approach”.
This means using the full range of public health and social measures available and adopting a comprehensive risk management approach to mass gatherings.
“Many countries around the world have shown that these measures can prevent and control the virus,” he stressed.
To provide support, WHO recently issued updated guidance to facilitate a risk-based approach to opening up.
As UN News reports, the agency is also reviewing options to digitize the International Certificate for Immunization and Prophylaxis, to support a harmonized approach to recording immunization status.
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