WHO chief calls for ‘immediate action’ amid COVID-19 resurgence to avoid another global lockdown

The WHO has called for "immediate action" as several countries have reported a resurgence in new confirmed cases of COVID-19. Read on to know more.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Published: October 24, 2020 1:37 pm

डब्ल्यूएचओ की चेतावनी, कोरोना के घटते मामलों वाले देश भी रहें 'सतर्क'

Spain, one of the hardest hit countries by COVID-19, had reported a resurgent in cases in late August after lockdown restrictions were eased. Around this time, France also reported a surge in active coronavirus cases. Recently, the World Health Organisation had also said that Europe saw a 25 per cent spike in confirmed cases this month itself. According to WHO, Russia, the Czech Republic and Italy accounted for more than half of new COVID-19 cases in Europe. The number of deaths in Europe also “continues to climb”. In India, though there has been a recent drop in active cases, many experts warn of another spike after the festive season. People are getting complacent and this may be the reason for the resurgence of the viral disease in many countries around the world. Also Read - Akshay Kumar, Piyush Mishra, Sonam Kapoor and more Bollywood celebs who opened up on facing sexual abuse in childhood

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the world was still at “a critical juncture” in its fights against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and called for “immediate action” as several countries have reported a resurgence in new confirmed cases. Addressing a press conference on Friday, Ghebreyesus said that the next few months are going to be very “tough” and some countries are on “a dangerous track”, reports Xinhua news agency Also Read - Test Article 2 Covid 19 3rd wave

‘At a critical juncture’, says WHO chief

“We are at a critical juncture in this pandemic, particularly in the northern hemisphere,” he said. “Too many countries are seeing an exponential increase in cases and that is now leading to hospitals and ICU running close or above capacity and we’re still only in October,” the WHO chief added. Ghebreyesus urged leaders to take immediate action, so as to prevent further unnecessary deaths, essential health services from collapsing and schools shutting again. Also Read - COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 10,757,610 while death toll reaches 1,54,392 12d

Attempts on to identify zoonotic source of disease

Also addressing the briefing, Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, said that progress is being made on the plans for an international mission to identify the zoonotic source of the coronavirus. She said the WHO has reached out to a group of international experts and is expected to share more information in the coming days. “The first cases were detected in Wuhan of China last December, so the early studies will begin there,” she said, adding that then the next phase of the studies will be developed as the evidence and results from the first phase become available. “We will follow the science and follow the necessary steps that need to be taken,” Van Kerkhove added.

US worst hit, India comes a close second

As of Saturday morning, overall number of global coronavirus cases stood at 42,114,524, while the deaths have soared to 1,143,291, according to the Johns Hopkins University. The US is the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 8,484,991 and 223,914, respectively, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update. India comes in second place in terms of cases at 78,14,682 while the country’s death toll soared to 1,17,956.

(With inputs from IANS)

Published : October 24, 2020 1:37 pm

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