WHO warns of early stages of Covid-19 third wave amid Delta variant surge

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned the world about the ‘early stages’ of COVID-19 third wave amid Delta Variant surge. Unfortunately the world is now in the early stages of a third wave, he said.

Yesterday, the head of WHO said that Delta variant’s spread, along with increased social mobility and the inconsistent use of proven public health measures, is driving an increase in both case numbers and deaths.

Recalling the sustained decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths that was being driven, in recent months, by increasing vaccination rates in Europe and North America, he sounded alarm over the fresh reversal of that positive trend, reported UN News.

Meanwhile, said Tedros, the virus is continuing to evolve, resulting in more transmissible variants.

The Delta variant is now



in more than 111 countries and is expected to soon be the dominant COVID-19 strain circulating worldwide if it isn’t already, he said.

Last week marked the fourth consecutive week of rising cases of COVID-19 globally, with increases recorded in all but one of WHO’s six regions. Deaths are also rising again, after 10 weeks of steady decline.

Many countries still have not received any vaccines, and most have not received enough.

Tedros reiterated WHO’s appeal for a massive push to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of the population of every country by September, at least 40 per cent by the end of 2021, and at least 70 per cent by mid-2022.

Emphasising that vaccines alone will not stop the pandemic, he called upon countries to persist with a tailored and consistent approach.