More than 3 million people have died from Covid-19 worldwide since the start of the epidemic. On Sunday, the WHO identified more than 600,000 new cases of contamination, a “critical point” according to its experts.
“We are currently at a critical point in the pandemic. The trajectory of this pandemic is expanding rapidly. It is growing exponentially. This is not the situation we want to find ourselves in 16 months after the start of the pandemic, while we have effective control measures“, estimated Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical manager at the WHO for the fight against Covid-19, at a press conference. According to a report established by AFP from official sources this Monday at 10h GMT, near 135,952,650 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed since the start of the epidemic, including 601,284 on Sunday.
Death curve increases by 5% and that of cases by 9% worldwide
“This is the seventh consecutive week of increase in cases, and the fourth consecutive week of increase in deaths,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at his side. “Last week we recorded the fourth highest number of cases in a single week so far. Several countries in Asia and the Middle East have seen a sharp increase in the number of cases. that more than 780 million doses of vaccine have been administered worldwide “, he added.
According to the Organization, the Covid-19 pandemic could be controlled by “some months” if the right measures were adopted. The head of the WHO thus hammered once again that vaccines were precious tools to be considered as “vital and powerful ”. However, he recommends that states and populations continue to follow the measures that work, namely: masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, screening, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine. “In some countries, despite continued transmission, restaurants and nightclubs are full, markets are open and crowded, and few people take precautions,” lamented Dr Tedros.
Reasons to be optimistic
For Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, even though the pandemic is “far from over” there are many reasons for optimism, namely: “With a concerted effort to apply public health measures and equitable vaccination, we could bring this pandemic under control in a few months”, warns Dr. Tedros, before concluding “Whether we get it or not, it depends on the decisions and actions that governments and individuals take every day.”
