WHO Predicts COVID Could Still ‘Echo Around the World’

March 17, 2022 — After a number of weeks of declines in new reported instances of COVID-19, the numbers are growing globally as soon as once more, significantly in elements of Asia and Western Europe, the World Health Organization says.

“These will increase are occurring regardless of reductions in testing in some international locations, which suggests the instances we’re seeing are simply the tip of the iceberg,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, stated at a information briefing Wednesday.

As a end result, native outbreaks and surges in COVID-19 instances are probably, “significantly in areas the place measures to forestall transmission have been lifted,” he stated.

And demise charges stay excessive in many countries, significantly these with low ranges of vaccination.

“Each nation is going through a unique state of affairs with completely different challenges, however the pandemic just isn’t over,” Tedros stated.

“I repeat, the pandemic just isn’t over.”

His assertion comes amid a reported 46% enhance in COVID-19 instances within the U.Okay. and a soar in case numbers in China. Around the globe, weekly COVID-19 instances are up 8%, the WHO introduced, regardless of a big discount in testing for COVID-19.

Given these reviews, “we must be very cautious. We want to observe this very rigorously, and we have to give attention to getting probably the most susceptible appropriately vaccinated,” stated Michael Ryan, MD, govt director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program.

Pockets of Pandemic Possible

“This virus continues to be transferring round fairly simply. In the context of waning immunity and the truth that vaccines do not work completely, the chances are this virus will echo world wide,” Ryan stated.

The coronavirus can persist for a very long time, even in small communities, ready for its subsequent alternative to unfold.

“It will survive in these pockets for months and months till one other pocket of susceptibility opens up,” Ryan stated.

The COVID-19 Picture in Ukraine

Even because the battle in Ukraine enters its fourth week, the COVID-19 surveillance and reporting system stays largely intact, stated Adelheid Marschang, MD, the senior emergency officer for the WHO Health Emergencies Program.

“We see on the similar time that the testing has decreased,” she stated.
“Still, now we have captured now, I feel, one thing like greater than 30,000 new instances.”

Recognizing Pandemic Fatigue

The issues driving the worldwide will increase in case detection “are the identical elements which were driving transmission of this virus for the reason that starting of the pandemic,” stated Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD.

“We utterly perceive that the world wants to maneuver on from COVID-19. But this virus spreads very effectively between individuals,” stated Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID-19 response on the WHO and a Health Emergencies Program skilled.

“If we do not have the fitting interventions in place, the virus will take alternatives to proceed to unfold. And the extra the virus spreads, the extra alternatives it has to alter.”