Global COVID-19 infections up for first time in seven weeks, WHO says

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Global COVID-19 infections up for first time in seven weeks, WHO says

 

FILE PHOTO: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) speaks during the opening of the 148th session of the Executive Board on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Geneva, Switzerland, January 18, 2021. Christopher Black/WHO/Handout

 

ZURICH (Reuters) - The number of new coronavirus infections globally rose last week for the first time in seven weeks, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

 

"We need to have a stern warning for all of us: that this virus will rebound if we let it," Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO technical lead for COVID-19, told a briefing. "And we cannot let it."

 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the rise in cases was "disappointing but not surprising" and urged countries not to relax measures to fight the disease.

 

It was too early for countries to rely solely on vaccination programmes and abandon other measures, he said: "If countries rely solely on vaccines, they are making a mistake. Basic public health measures remain the foundation of the response."

 

The number of new coronavirus infections globally rose last week for the first time in seven weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday (March 1).

 

Tedros noted that Ghana and Ivory Coast became the first countries on Monday to begin vaccinating people with doses supplied by COVAX, the international programme to provide vaccines for poor and middle-income countries.

 

But he also criticised rich countries for hoarding vaccine doses, saying that it was in everyone's interest for vulnerable people to be protected around the world.

 

"It's regrettable that some countries continue to prioritise vaccinating younger healthier adults at lower risk of diseases in their own populations, ahead of health workers and older people elsewhere," Tedros said.

 

Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergency expert, said the global fight against the coronavirus was in a better state now than it was 10 weeks ago before the roll-outs of vaccines had begun. But it was too early to say the virus was coming under control.

 

"The issue is of us being in control of the virus and the virus being in control of us. And right now the virus is very much in control."

 

(Reporting by John Revill, Vishwadha Chander, Manojna Maddipatla; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Alex Richardson, Dan Grebler and Giles Elgood)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-02

 

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[phantomfiddler]

It would appear that this virus is going to do whatever it pleases, since it has been completely out of control since day one, and any attempt to vaccinate the entire population is statistically impossible ????

 

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41 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

It would appear that this virus is going to do whatever it pleases, since it has been completely out of control since day one, and any attempt to vaccinate the entire population is statistically impossible ????

 

It's out of control? Is its prevalence is the same in all nations? And why do you think vaccinating the entire population is necessary? Statistically speaking, what's important is the percentage that it will take to reach herd immunity.

[Stargeezr]

I heard that today was the worst day in Brazil, but of course their country leader is like Donald T was, but he is still their leader and the 

rest of Brazil has to fend for themselves. Many people still dying in the rest of the world, but hopefully as more of us get 

vaccinated the less of us will die.  I imagine there are lots of people dying in Africa, and other poorer countries  and in many of the refugee camps that

exist around the world.

Geezer