The World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency committee on COVID-19 on Wednesday warned coronavirus still remains a major public health danger, reported The Business Standard.
The world health agency further insisted that countries must stop dropping their guard. The committee meets every three months to discuss the pandemic and reports to the WHO chief.
The WHO’s group of experts said the pandemic was far from being at an end.
“Now is not the time to let our guard down — on the contrary, and this is an extremely strong recommendation,” committee chair Didier Houssin told a press conference.
He said that the situation is far from over with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic, the circulation of the virus is still very active, mortality remains high and the virus is evolving in an unpredictable way.
The WHO emergency committee’s head said it is not the time for relaxation on this virus, nor weakness in surveillance, testing, and reporting, nor laxity in public and social health measures, and no resignation when it comes to vaccination.
The committee claims that the pandemic still constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — the highest level of alert that the WHO can sound. It insists that the pandemic still continues to adversely affect the health of populations around the world, poses an ongoing risk of international spread.
The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the best way to protect against COVID-19 is to get vaccinated and boosted when recommended.
He urged people to continue wearing masks, especially in crowded indoor spaces. He asked the people to keep the air fresh by opening windows and doors and investing in good ventilation.
As per the latest WHO data, the global number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths continued to decline during the week of April 4-10 for a third consecutive week, with more than 7 million cases and over 22,000 deaths reported.
But Tedros said that some countries are still witnessing a serious spike in cases, which is putting pressure on hospitals. He said the WHO’s ability to monitor trends is compromised as testing has significantly reduced.
