The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about the global rise in COVID-19 infections, with no signs of decline in the near future.
The agency said this in an address to the media in Geneva, Switzerland. The UN health agency said there are rising cases even at the Olympics. There is also a risk of the potential emergence of more severe variants of the virus.
The Global Rise Of COVID-19 Infections
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead for the COVID-19 response at the World Health Organization, cautioned:
“COVID-19 is still very much with us. Data from our sentinel-based surveillance system across 84 countries reports that the percentage of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising over several weeks. Overall, test positivity is above 10 per cent, but this fluctuates per region. In Europe, per cent positivity is above 20 per cent.”
Regions such as the Americas, Europe, and the western Pacific have recorded new waves of infections. Notably, wastewater surveillance indicates that the actual circulation of the virus could be two to 20 times higher than current estimates suggest.
Potential for More Severe Variants
UN News reported that the high circulation rates of the virus during the northern hemisphere’s summer months are unusual for respiratory viruses, which usually spread more in colder temperatures.
Dr Kerkhove added:
“In recent months, regardless of the season, many countries have experienced surges of COVID-19, including at the Olympics where at least 40 athletes have tested positive.”
The evolving nature of the virus and its continuous spread raise the risk of encountering a more severe strain that could evade detection systems and resist medical interventions.
While hospital admissions, including intensive care, remain significantly lower than during the pandemic’s peak, WHO urges governments to bolster vaccination campaigns, ensuring high-risk groups receive a shot at least once every 12 months.
“As individuals, it is important to take measures to reduce the risk of infection and severe disease, including ensuring that you have had a COVID-19 vaccination dose in the last 12 months, especially if you are in an at-risk group,” Dr Van Kerkhove emphasised.
Vaccine availability has sharply declined over the past 12 to 18 months as the number of producers has decreased:
“It is very difficult for them to maintain the pace. And certainly, they don’t need to maintain the pace that they had in 2021 and 2022. But let’s be very clear, there is a market for COVID-19 vaccines that are [already] out there.”
Despite the challenges, nasal vaccines are under development, potentially addressing transmission and reducing the risk of further variants, infection, and severe disease.
Expressing deep concern, Dr Van Kerkhove warned:
“I am concerned. With such low coverage and with such large circulation, if we were to have a variant that would be more severe, then the susceptibility of the at-risk populations to develop severe disease is huge.”
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