WHO shares ‘welcome’ news on Covid but still has a warning

#COVID19, where we are now seeing a welcome decline in reported deaths globally. However, with colder weather approaching in the northern hemisphere, it’s reasonable to expect an increase in hospitalizations and deaths in the coming months"-@DrTedros Tedros said vaccination rates, even in rich countries, were still too low, noting that 30% of health workers and 20% of older people remain unimmunized. “These vaccination gaps pose a risk to all of us," he said. “Please get vaccinated if you are not and a booster if it’s recommended that you have one." He further warned that even those who are vaccinated should follow the simple covid norms to reduce their own risk of infection, and reduce the risk of infecting someone else. “Avoid crowds if you can, especially indoors.

If you are in a crowded indoor space, wear a mask and open a window. And continue to clean your hands, which will help to protect you and others from all kinds of viruses and bacteria" "Living with COVID19 doesn’t mean pretending the pandemic is over.

If you go walking in the rain without an umbrella, pretending it’s not raining won’t help you. You’ll still get wet. Likewise, pretending a deadly virus is not circulating is a huge risk." WHO on Wednesday conveyed there were 4.5 million new COVID-19 cases reported last week, a 16% drop from the previous week.

Deaths were also down by 13%, with about 13,500 fatalities. WHO said COVID-19 infections dropped everywhere in the world while deaths decreased everywhere except for Southeast Asia, where they climbed by 15% and in the Western Pacific, where they rose by 3%.