New Delhi: The World Health Organization has told nations to remain vigilant against the Corona virus because the pandemic is far from over.
Figures showing a rise in cases worldwide could signify a graver problem because countries have also reduced testing, the WHO said.
WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Wednesday: “These increases are occurring despite reductions in testing in some countries, which means the cases we’re seeing are just the tip of the iceberg.”
The highly-transmissible Omicron variant and its BA.2 cousin, coupled with administrations relaxing restrictions could push up numbers further, the WHO said.
The global health body said low vaccination rates in some countries, forced partly by a “huge amount of misinformation” could also explain the rise.
“We call on all countries to remain vigilant,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “Continue to vaccinate, test, sequence, provide early care for patients, and apply common-sense public health measures to protect health workers and the public.”
WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove warned: “First we still have the Omicron, which is transmitting at a very intense level around the world… Another contributing factor is the lifting of health measures such as masks, physical distancing…We also have incomplete vaccination coverage in many parts of the world.”
The world witnessed an 8 per cent jump in numbers with 1.1 crore new cases reported from March 7-13. There were over 43,000 deaths.
The biggest jump is in the western Pacific region, which includes South Korea and China, where cases jumped by 25 per cent and deaths by 27 per cent.
Africa saw a rise of 12 per cent in new cases, and 14 per cent in deaths. Europe managed deaths but cases rose by 2 per cent.
Europe may face another wave, experts have said, with cases rising since the beginning of March in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, Reuters reported.
Reuters also reported concerns over America. Experts believe the United States “could soon see a similar wave to that seen in Europe, potentially driven by BA.2, the lifting of restrictions and potential waning immunity from vaccines given several months ago”.
“I agree with the easing of restrictions, because you can’t think of it as an emergency after two years,” Antonella Viola, professor of immunology at Italy’s University of Padua told the news agency.
“We just have to avoid thinking that COVID is no longer there. And therefore maintain the strictly necessary measures, which are essentially the continuous monitoring and tracking of cases, and the maintenance of the obligation to wear a mask in closed or very crowded places.”
Globally the virus has infected 46.38 crore people and caused over 60 lakh deaths since January 2020, according to data provided by the Johns Hopkins University.
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