COVID-19 pandemic is nowhere near over: WHO chief warns of rising infections

Geneva, July 13: The World Health Organization's chief has warned that fresh waves of Covid-19 infections show the pandemic is 'nowhere near over'.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said cases of COVID continue to rise, putting further pressure on stretched health systems and health workers, and deaths are unacceptably high.

"The virus is running freely and countries are not effectively managing the disease burden based on their capacity, in terms of both hospitalisation for acute cases and the expanding number of people with post-Covid condition, often referred to as Long Covid," he said.

WHO chief also urged governments to regularly review and adjust their COVID response plans based on the current epidemiology and also the potential for new variants to appear. Sub-variants of Omicron, like BA.4 and BA.5, continue to drive waves of cases, hospitalization, and death around the world, he added.

The Emergency Committee on COVID-19 met on Friday and concluded that the virus remains a public health emergency of international concern.

The number of Covid cases reported to the WHO increased 30 percent in the past two weeks, driven by sub-variants of the Omicron strain and the lifting of control measures.

Earlier on Tuesday, the WHO's regional director for Europe recommended that all vulnerable adults and their close contacts receive a second vaccine booster dose.