The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday stated the circulation of COVID-19 is rising in all nations whereas an “alarming decline” in vaccine protection has been noticed.
“The virus is circulating in all countries,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention instructed a UN press briefing in Geneva.
“Data from our sentinel-based surveillance system across 84 countries reports that the percent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising for several weeks.”
Overall, take a look at positivity is above 10%, however this fluctuates per area, Kerkhove stated, including that in Europe, p.c positivity is above 20%.
Wastewater surveillance means that the circulation of the virus is 2-20 occasions increased than what’s at the moment being reported, she stated, and warned: “This is significant because the virus continues to evolve and change, which puts us all at risk of a potentially more severe virus that could evade our detection and/or our medical interventions, including vaccination.”
“Such high circulation is not ‘typical’ for respiratory viruses that tend to increase in circulation in the colder months,” she stated, noting that in latest months, no matter season, many nations have skilled surges of COVID-19.
She added that even on the Olympics, at the moment, at the least 40 athletes have up to now examined constructive.
These surges, which resulted in will increase in hospitalizations and deaths in lots of nations, should be prevented, she stated.
– Vaccination decline must be reversed
Kerkhove really useful all nations to think about co-administration of COVID-19 vaccines with seasonal influenza vaccines as a result of decline in COVID-19 vaccination.
“Over the last two years, we have seen an alarming decline in vaccine coverage, especially among health workers and people over 60, two of the most at-risk groups,” she stated. “This urgently needs to be turned around.”
She reminded individuals within the highest-risk teams of WHO’s advice that they obtain a COVID-19 vaccine inside 12 months of their final dose.
She additionally referred to as on governments to proceed to speculate and help a worldwide understanding of circulation and impression and supply their populations with the instruments to guard themselves and take care of individuals affected by acute and long-term results of COVID-19, together with post-COVID-19 situation.
“WHO urges countries to continue to sharpen their pandemic preparedness, readiness, and response systems on which they have worked so hard during COVID, to be ready for surges of COVID-19 as well as other emerging and re-emerging pathogens, like avian influenza H5N1, mpox, dengue,” she stated.
Source: www.anews.com.tr