The World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned countries to remain vigilant against COVID-19 as the latest figures show a global rise in the number of new cases, reported Reuters. The WHO chief also warned against a drop in testing rates across various countries.
According to the WHO, Covid cases started to increase around the world last week after more than a month of decline. There are even lockdowns in Asia and China’s Jilin province, which are battling to contain an outbreak.
The UN health body said a combination of factors was causing the increases, including the highly transmissible Omicron variant and its BA.2 sublineage, and the lifting of public health and social measures.
“These increases are occurring despite reductions in testing in some countries, which means the cases we’re seeing are just the tip of the iceberg,” WHO’s chief Ghebreyesus told reporters. “And we know that when COVID19 cases increase, so do deaths.”
He added that continued outbreaks and surges are expected in the coming days, particularly in areas where measures to prevent transmission have been lifted.
The WHO head said low vaccination rates in some countries, driven partly by misinformation, have also led to the rise. He reiterated that the pandemic was not over and asked people to continue taking serious note of the same.
The number of new COVID-19 cases jumped by 8 percent globally compared to the previous week, with 11 million new cases and just over 43,000 new deaths reported from March 7-13. It marks the first rise since the end of January.
The biggest increase in case number was reported in the Western Pacific region, which includes South Korea and China, where cases rose by 25 percent and deaths by 27 percent. The African continent also reported a 12 percent rise in new cases and 14 percent rise in deaths, and Europe a 2 percent rise in cases but no jump in deaths.
