Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), warned on Monday (January 24) that it is dangerous to assume the new coronavirus (COVID-19) Omicron variant will herald the end of the worst phase of the epidemic Yes, he urged countries to continue to focus on fighting the epidemic.
Tedros said, "It is dangerous to think that Omicron will be the last variant and that we have entered the final stage," Tedros said. The two-year-old pandemic has killed nearly 6 million people. .
"Instead, on a global scale, conditions for more variants are possible," he added.
While Omicron's total number of cases has soared to nearly 350 million, its low lethal impact and the growing availability of a vaccine have led some regions to be optimistic that the worst of the outbreak may be over.
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In the U.S., deaths from the Omicron variant are still rising, even as new Covid-19 cases have fallen and hospitalizations are showing signs of stabilizing in some hard-hit regions.
According to media statistics, the death toll from the new coronavirus in the United States hit an 11-month high on Sunday, an increase of 11% in the past week compared with the previous week.
Covid-19 deaths are a lagging indicator, meaning their numbers typically rise within weeks of new cases and hospitalizations.
"Because critically ill patients with Covid-19 can be hospitalized for a long time, it will take a while before we see a drop in deaths," said Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University in New York City.
In addition, in India, the weekly positivity rate has risen to 17.03% in the week ended January 24, from about 0.63% on December 27, mainly for the highly contagious Omicron variant.
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Some experts have warned that cases of COVID-19 infections in India could rise sharply in the coming weeks, noting that the Omicron variant is already spreading in the community and that hospitals are seeing more patients despite a drop in cases in major cities.
"The Covid-19 pandemic is now in its third year and we are at a critical juncture. We must work together to end the acute phase of this pandemic," Tedros said in an earlier press conference. It can't be allowed to drag on and oscillate between panic and neglect."
He called on countries to make the most of existing strategies and tools, such as testing and vaccinations, to end the global health emergency this year.
