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The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the number of COVID-19 cases is surging globally and is unlikely to decline anytime soon.
Addressing “Data from our sentinel surveillance system covering 84 countries show that the percentage of positive coronavirus tests has been increasing for several weeks,” said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, director of WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention.
While the overall test positivity rate is over 10%, the situation varies by region. Van Kerkhove warned that in Europe, the test positivity rate is over 20%.
But these numbers may hide higher infection rates, as wastewater monitoring suggests that in some cases SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates are 20 times higher than the numbers suggest.
Risk of new variants
The UN agency also warned of a growing risk of more severe variants emerging as the virus continues to evolve and spread, potentially leading to the emergence of strains that are unresponsive to medical interventions.
“With this much spread, if a more severe variant emerges, the likelihood of severe illness in high-risk groups is high,” Van Kerkhove warned.
Current hospitalizations remain well below the peak of the pandemic, but WHO has urged governments to step up vaccination campaigns and ensure that those most at risk receive booster shots every twelve months.
“As an individual, it is very important to take steps to reduce your risk of infection and severe illness, including making sure you have received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine within the past 12 months, especially if you are in a high-risk group,” Van Kerkhove stressed.
Vaccine production has declined over the past year and a half, and the number of manufacturers has dwindled. The hope is that nasal vaccines, still in development, will address transmission issues and reduce the risk of further mutations, infections and severe disease.
(Editing by Rajnish Singh)
Read more by Euractiv
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