The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday (January 30) that they maintain the highest alert over the coronavirus(COVID-19), but are also hopeful for the future. WHO said that Covid continues to be a public health emergency of international concern, its highest form of an alert.
In a statement, the world body said that the pandemic was likely at a “transition point” that continues to need careful management to “mitigate the potential negative consequences”.
The first case of Covid was reported in China at the end of 2019. WHO data on January 27 revealed that since early 2020, more than 6.8 million deaths from Covid-19 have been officially recorded, out of 752 million cases globally.
Vaccines programmes were launched by leaders across the world as counter-measures to curb the cases. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said he hopes to see an end to the emergency this year.
Tedros told a separate WHO meeting on Monday: “We remain hopeful that in the coming year, the world will transition to a new phase in which we reduce (COVID) hospitalisations and deaths to their lowest possible level.”
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COVID-19 cases in China
China recently faced the wrath of the Covid wave across the country when the authorities lifted zero-Covid restrictions last year in December.
But the Chinese health authorities said on Monday (January 30) that the latest wave of coronavirus infections is declining fast across the nation. Media reports have also mentioned that local authorities claimed that there had been no “obvious rebound”, despite the country-wide Lunar New Year holidays last week, when family and friends met where millions reunited for celebrations.
As quoted by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Fu Wei, who is a specialist with the National Health Commission, said that there is a significant decline in people visiting rural and community health centres and clinics.
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