Jan 19, 2022 05:14 PM
(This post was last modified: Jan 19, 2022 05:21 PM by C C.)
Pandemic "nowhere near over" -- with new variants likely to emerge, says WHO director
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-me...-director/
INTRO: It was recently reported that all COVID-19 restrictions in the UK could be lifted by March, but does the science support the rollback of precautions globally? Not according to World Health Organization Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who recently gave a sage warning that we are not out of the woods quite yet.
"This pandemic is nowhere near over and with the incredible growth of Omicron globally, new variants are likely to emerge," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference, reports Insider. "The virus is circulating far too intensely with many still vulnerable. For many countries, the next few weeks remain really critical for health workers and health systems."
Moves such as that being touted in the UK is the next logical step when COVID-19 becomes endemic, but it’s highly questionable that COVID-19 fits the bill just yet. A pandemic describes disease spread that is global and exponential (like all those delicious graphs).
An endemic disease is one that is widespread but stable and predictable in its spread. Think of the common cold which has maintained its chokehold on the globe for hundreds of years... (MORE - details)
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WHO chief warns that the pandemic is ‘far from over’
https://www.zmescience.com/science/who-c...g-8436373/
EXCERPT: . . . Ghebreyesus’ statement [...] comes against a backdrop of countries reporting record numbers of new infections, especially in the 24 hours leading to the statement. This dramatic increase in cases is largely fueled by the more infectious Omicron strain and is already pushing governments to take more action against the virus. “The pandemic will end when the world chooses to end it. It is in our hands, we have all the tools we need: effective public health tools and effective medical tools,” he added.
Several countries around the world are looking at staggering rates of daily new coronavirus cases. In the United States, the number of new cases has once again reached 1 million per day on January 18, after slightly dipping below that over the last week.
Europe is not faring very well either. Germany has blazed past 100,000 new cases per day, and reports from France show that it has passed 460,000. In the rest of the world, Brazil has shattered its previous record of new cases, reaching over 135,000 new cases.
The Omicron strain is considered to drive a large percentage of these cases. Due to its infectiousness, the WHO estimates that it will infect half of all Europeans by March. That is an understandably chilling prospect for lawmakers, who fear that high infection rates will translate into a much higher number of people seeking medical help; hospitals are already struggling to handle COVID-19 patients, and a sizable increase in demand could swamp healthcare services on a wide scale.
Governments around the world are already ramping up efforts against the virus by instituting new containment measures and speeding the rollout of vaccine boosters... (MORE - missing details)
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-me...-director/
INTRO: It was recently reported that all COVID-19 restrictions in the UK could be lifted by March, but does the science support the rollback of precautions globally? Not according to World Health Organization Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who recently gave a sage warning that we are not out of the woods quite yet.
"This pandemic is nowhere near over and with the incredible growth of Omicron globally, new variants are likely to emerge," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference, reports Insider. "The virus is circulating far too intensely with many still vulnerable. For many countries, the next few weeks remain really critical for health workers and health systems."
Moves such as that being touted in the UK is the next logical step when COVID-19 becomes endemic, but it’s highly questionable that COVID-19 fits the bill just yet. A pandemic describes disease spread that is global and exponential (like all those delicious graphs).
An endemic disease is one that is widespread but stable and predictable in its spread. Think of the common cold which has maintained its chokehold on the globe for hundreds of years... (MORE - details)
- - - - - -
WHO chief warns that the pandemic is ‘far from over’
https://www.zmescience.com/science/who-c...g-8436373/
EXCERPT: . . . Ghebreyesus’ statement [...] comes against a backdrop of countries reporting record numbers of new infections, especially in the 24 hours leading to the statement. This dramatic increase in cases is largely fueled by the more infectious Omicron strain and is already pushing governments to take more action against the virus. “The pandemic will end when the world chooses to end it. It is in our hands, we have all the tools we need: effective public health tools and effective medical tools,” he added.
Several countries around the world are looking at staggering rates of daily new coronavirus cases. In the United States, the number of new cases has once again reached 1 million per day on January 18, after slightly dipping below that over the last week.
Europe is not faring very well either. Germany has blazed past 100,000 new cases per day, and reports from France show that it has passed 460,000. In the rest of the world, Brazil has shattered its previous record of new cases, reaching over 135,000 new cases.
The Omicron strain is considered to drive a large percentage of these cases. Due to its infectiousness, the WHO estimates that it will infect half of all Europeans by March. That is an understandably chilling prospect for lawmakers, who fear that high infection rates will translate into a much higher number of people seeking medical help; hospitals are already struggling to handle COVID-19 patients, and a sizable increase in demand could swamp healthcare services on a wide scale.
Governments around the world are already ramping up efforts against the virus by instituting new containment measures and speeding the rollout of vaccine boosters... (MORE - missing details)
