Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries that the global health crisis is far from over.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said that two years after the pandemic was announced on March 11, 2020, the coronavirus is still evolving in many parts of the world.
“Two years later, more than six million people have died. Although reported cases and deaths are declining globally, and several countries have lifted restrictions, the pandemic is far from over – and it will not be over anywhere until it’s over everywhere,” Tedros said in a media briefing.
He noted the 46 percent rise in new cases during the first week of March in the WHO’s Western Pacific region, where 3.9 million infections were recorded.
“The virus continues to evolve, and we continue to face major obstacles in distributing vaccines, tests and treatments everywhere they are needed,” Tedros said, sounding the alarm on plunging in testing rates that could leave countries blind in terms of the number of cases.
“WHO is concerned that several countries are drastically reducing testing,” Tedros said. “This inhibits our ability to see where the virus is, how it’s spreading and how it’s evolving.”
The global health body reminded the public not to let their guards down as the virus still exists and continues to spread.
Currently, Omicron remains to be the most dominant variant according to WHO.
It’s too early to declare victory over #COVID19. Many countries are facing high rates of hospitalization & death. With high transmission, the threat of a new, more dangerous variant remains real. We urge all people to exercise caution and all governments to stay the course. pic.twitter.com/hLtKCsp4ER
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 6, 2022
