The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the pandemic a public health emergency, recommending governments be ready to ramp up COVID-19 response quickly as the number of new cases and deaths continues to fall.
There’s good news on COVID-19. Last week, the lowest number of COVID-19 deaths since the outbreak began was documented, “Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization, said at a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday.
According to the WHO, the global number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths decreased for the third week in a row during the week of April 4–10, with more than 7 million cases and over 22,000 deaths reported, down 24% and 18%, respectively, from the previous week, according to Xinhua news agency.
However, in some nations, there is still a significant increase in cases, putting strain on hospitals. And, because testing has been drastically decreased, our capacity to track trends has been harmed, “Tedros remarked.
The Covid-19 International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization announced its recommendations from its most recent meeting on Wednesday, confirming that the Covid-19 pandemic remains a public health emergency of international concern.
According to the committee, countries should continue to use evidence-based and risk-based public health and social measures (PHSM) and be ready to scale up PHSM quickly in response to changes in the virus and population immunity if COVID-19 hospitalizations, intensive care admissions, and fatalities rise, putting health systems at risk.
As the incidence of severe cases has dropped considerably in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States, widespread COVID-19 testing and surveillance programmes have been phased out. As a result, the WHO has requested that all nations sequence at least 5% of their COVID-19 samples in order to follow coronavirus changes.
According to WHO Director General Margaret Chan, the UN health agency is actively monitoring a number of Omicron sub-lineages, including BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5, as well as a recombinant made up of BA.1 and BA.2.
The WHO has previously stated that scientists in Botswana and South Africa have discovered new variants of the Omicron variation known as BA.4 and BA.5. However, due to the small sample size and sequencing, it is still unclear whether these are more transmissible or hazardous.
Getting vaccinated and boosted as recommended is the best way to protect yourself. Continue to use masks, especially if you’re in a crowded indoor environment. Keep the air fresh indoors by opening windows and doors and investing in good ventilation. The World Health Organization’s director-general recommended.
Also read: 796 COVID CASES REPORTED IN INDIA
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