WHO: World Is More Stable in Terms of COVID-19 Cases
The World Health Organization warns of the possibility of a new, dangerous wave of COVID-19 and its variants, although it sees that the world is witnessing some sort of stability in terms of infection rates.
Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme, indicated that the world is witnessing some sort of stability in terms of COVID-19 infection rates.
During a press conference, Ryan highlighted the infection rates of the past two weeks, saying that some kind of stability is observable, noting that "the situation now is much better than it was three months ago."
Ryan discussed the global epidemiological situation and explained that the number of infections has decreased in some countries, while it increased in others. He said that the reason for the increase is efficiently detecting COVID-19 variants, easing restrictions, and increasing social gatherings.
Michael Ryan's statements came during a live Q&A about COVID-19, which was announced by the World Health Organization and streamed on Periscope.
LIVE #AskWHO with @DrMikeRyan & Dr @mvankerkhove about #COVID19 https://t.co/j3yaAthLgm
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 5, 2021
Despite the stability that some countries have observed in terms of COVID-19 infections, the WHO warned last week of the possibility of a new, dangerous wave due to the Delta variant spreading in Europe.
Epidemiologists warned of the continued emergence of new COVID-19 variants, which could be more deadly than their predecessors. Two of these variants have raised concerns following further studies.
This variant was classified as a concern on May 11, 2021, currently constituting 30% of all COVID-19 cases in France, according to a statement by French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal.
The World Health Organization decided in late May to name variants after Greek alphabet letters to prevent labels that might have negative connotations about the variant's country of origin.
The Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, expressed his sorrow regarding the COVID-19-related deaths that could have been prevented by vaccination.
On deaths in the United States, Fauci expressed his regret at the situation, saying: "it's really sad and tragic that most of these are avoidable and preventable."