Health

WHO Cautions Against Concurrent Outbreaks of COVID-19, Other Diseases

GENEVA, Jan 13  — The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday cautioned and urged for preparedness against concurrent outbreaks of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases during the coming spring.

According to Xinhua, Dr Maria van Kerkhove from the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said at a press briefing that this could happen as population mixing increases, and as other respiratory pathogens such as influenza circulate in spring.

More than 15 million new COVID-19 cases were reported to WHO from around the world last week, by far the most cases reported in a single week. This has been driven by “the Omicron variant rapidly replacing Delta in almost all countries,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Meanwhile, the number of weekly reported deaths has remained stable since October last year, at an average of 48,000.

While the number of patients being hospitalised were increasing in most countries, it is not at the level seen in previous waves. That was possibly due to the reduced severity of Omicron and widespread immunity from vaccination or previous infection, he said.

“Let’s be clear: while Omicron causes less severe disease than Delta, it remains a dangerous virus, particularly for those who are unvaccinated,” said the WHO chief.

The organisation has constantly warned that the sheer volume of cases was putting a heavy burden on healthcare systems.

“We will have to see what happens as this virus evolves,” said Van Kerkhove, warning of future outbreaks among those who are unvaccinated and not well protected.

Severe disease and death could be reduced by vaccination, as well as by improving clinical care, she said. However, this does depend on the nature of the interventions.

Sources: BERNAMA

Adib Mohd

Recent Posts

30 Years, One Icon: Three Decades of Magic with Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza Live in Concert This July!

Fans of Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza are in for an extraordinary treat as Malaysia’s most… Read More

1 day ago

AEON Launches Reforestation Project In Segamat To Continue Legacy Of Malaysia-Japan Friendship Forest

Building on the success of the Malaysia-Japan Friendship Forest Programme in Bidor, Perak, AEON is… Read More

1 day ago

A Milestone Celebration: 20 Years of the World’s Biggest Duathlon

The highly anticipated POWERMAN Malaysia celebrated its 20th anniversary milestone this year, with OMODA |… Read More

1 day ago

Ready or Not, Here Comes the Final Chapter of Squid Game and YOU Can Be A Part of History

Ready or Not, Here Comes the Final Chapter of Squid Game and YOU Can Be… Read More

1 day ago

Students Donate 5,000 Clothes with UNIQLO to Help Refugee Youth

What happens when a global fashion brand teams up with a school full of big-hearted… Read More

1 day ago

Shopee’s 7.7 Squad Pulls Up: 2,000 Affiliates, 80 Brands & One Big Mission “Shop Lagi Murah, Lagi Cepat”

Picture this: 2,000 creators. 80+ brands. One giant house party for all things content, community,… Read More

1 day ago

This website uses cookies.