2024-08-07 19:33:38
Current test results indicate rising corona numbers. The UN health organization is concerned. It is calling for immediate action.
In view of the increasing number of corona infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for vaccination campaigns for risk groups. Vaccination rates for older people and health workers have fallen alarmingly and have reached a miserable level, said WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove in Geneva. “We urgently need a turnaround here.”
Among all corona tests, the proportion of positive results has been rising for several weeks and is over ten percent, as the WHO reported based on data from 84 countries. In Europe, the rate is over 20 percent. Wastewater analyses showed that the virus is much more widespread than the infection statistics suggested, said Van Kerkhove. She also pointed out that more than 40 athletes tested positive at the Olympic Games in Paris. Read more about this here.
However, the epidemiologist emphasized that the current situation is not comparable to the pandemic phase because today many more people are protected from serious illnesses through vaccinations and previous infections. Virologist Alexander Kekulé also emphasized this. He recently explained in an interview with t-online why corona cases are increasing in Germany – despite the warm season.
The WHO also pointed out that only very few countries had data on the number of corona treatments in hospitals and intensive care units. “We are blind to the burden of disease,” said Van Kerkhove.