GENEVA, Switzerland
The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that COVID-19 cases and deaths are rising globally, partly because of complacency setting in that vaccines will stop the spread of the disease.
The latest WHO report
confirms more than 133.5 million cases of corona-virus infections, including
nearly 3 million global deaths.
Data show a worrisome
uptick in corona-virus cases and deaths in all regions of the world, with Africa
slightly less affected than other regions.
WHO
attributes this rise to several factors, including an increase in corona-virus
variants, failure to practice public health measures and the resumption of
so-called normal life when people emerge from lock-down.
Another
problem says WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris is a growing complacency that the
availability of vaccines will soon end the crisis.
“People
are misunderstanding that, seeming to think that vaccination will stop
transmission. That is not the case. We need to bring down the transmission
while giving the vaccination the chance to stop the severe disease and the
severe deaths,” Harris said.
The
WHO reports nearly 670 million doses of vaccines have been administered
globally. However, most of those doses have been given in wealthy countries.
Furthermore, the WHO warns there is a critical shortage of vaccines.
Harris
said some countries cannot start COVID-19 inoculation campaigns because of the
serious shortfall of doses, especially in developing countries.
“So,
again, what can be done about it? Doubling down on the public health social
measures. Truly understanding we have to keep on social distancing, we have to
avoid indoor crowded settings. We have to keep wearing the masks, even if
vaccinated,” she said.
The
good news, Harris added, is preliminary results from countries such as Britain
show that vaccination programs have averted very large numbers of deaths.
However,
until most of the world is vaccinated, she said people must not let down their
guard. They must remain vigilant and practice the few simple public health
measures that have been shown to work.
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