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The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday of a worldwide increase in COVID-19 infections.
He also considered it “unlikely” that they will decrease in the short term.
The WHO said that due to low vaccination coverage, the risk of a more virulent strain emerging that could cause severe disease is increasing.
“COVID-19 is still very much present” and circulating in all countries, said WHO’s Pandemic Prevention Director, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, during a press conference in Geneva.
Data from the health agency’s surveillance system, based on sentinels in 84 countries, were presented there.
“The number of tests with positive results exceeds 10 percent, but the figure fluctuates depending on the region. In Europe, the percentage is over 20 percent,” he warned.
He also explained that they have registered new waves of infection in America, Europe and the western Pacific.
Wastewater monitoring suggests that SARS-CoV-2 circulation is two to 20 times higher than documented figures.
This is happening right now at the Olympic Games, “where at least 40 athletes have tested positive,” Van Kerkhove warned.
Waves of covid-19
Such high infection rates during the summer months are atypical for respiratory viruses, which tend to spread primarily in cold temperatures.
However, in recent months, many countries have experienced waves of COVID-19, regardless of the season.
During the meeting, the expert recalled that as the virus continues to evolve and spread, there is a growing risk of a more serious strain of the virus emerging that can evade detection systems and not respond to medical intervention.