The number of Covid-19 cases that were just reported to have dropped dramatically, the world health organization said on Wednesday, urged the world to take the opportunity to end Pandemi.
The newly reported case of illness, which has killed millions of people since it was identified at the end of 2019, last week dropped to the lowest level since March 2020, said Head of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“We have never been in a better position to end Pandemi,” he told reporters. “We haven’t arrived yet, but finally seen.”
But the world needs to step to “take this opportunity”, he added.
“If we don’t take this opportunity now, we risk more variants, more deaths, more disturbances, and more uncertainty.”
According to WHO’s latest epidemiological report on Covid-19, the number of cases reportedly dropped 28 percent to 3.1 million during the week ended September 11, following 12 percent dropping a week earlier.
‘Underestimate’
But the agency has warned that the decline in the number of cases reported is deceptive, because many countries have reduced testing and may not detect less serious cases.
“The number of cases reported to who we know is to underestimate,” Maria van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical leadership in Covid, told reporters.
“We feel that far more cases are actually circulating than reported to us,” he said, reminding that the virus “circulated at a very intense level throughout the world at this time”.
Since the beginning of Pandemi, which has counted more than 605 million cases, and around 6.4 million deaths, although the two numbers are also believed to be a serious undercount.
A WHO study published in May based on the excess deaths seen in various countries during Pandemi estimates that up to 17 million people may have died of Covid in 2020 and 2021.
Van Kerkhove notes that in the future there is a possibility that there will be “waves of infection in the future, potentially at different points of time throughout the world, which is caused by various sub-variants of omicron or even different variants of concern”.
But, he added, “waves of infection in the future do not need to be translated into waves of death in the future”.
‘Seize this opportunity’
In an effort to help countries do what is needed to control the virus, WHO on Wednesday issued six policy briefs.
Among the recommendations, WHO who urged countries to invest in vaccinating 100 percent of the most risky groups, including health workers and parents, and to keep testing and sorting viruses.
“Brief this policy is an urgent call for the government to see carefully their policies, and strengthen them for Covid-19 and Pathogens in the future with Pandemic potential,” Tedros said.
“We can end this pandemic together, but only if all countries, producers, communities and individuals go and take this opportunity.”
Emergency Director approved by Michael Ryan.
“Even when the Pandemic is reduced, and when the number of cases can go down, we must maintain a high level of vigilance,” he told reporters.
“We still have a virus that is very changing, developing which has shown us repeatedly for two and a half years how he can adapt, how it can change.”
