WHO chief: Covid-19 virus continues to circulate and kill
Published: Wednesday, Jan 10th 2024, 17:00
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The World Health Organization (WHO) warns against taking Covid-19 lightly. Especially over the holidays, the number of infections increased after the first signs due to celebrations and parties with many people, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva on Wednesday.
The JN.1 variant, a subgroup of the Omikron variant known since the end of 2021, is mainly responsible, according to the evidence received by the WHO.
"Even though Covid-19 is no longer an international health emergency, the virus continues to circulate, it continues to change and it continues to kill," said Tedros. He called on people around the world to continue to get vaccinated, wear masks in crowded indoor spaces and ensure good ventilation everywhere.
The number of hospital admissions reported to the WHO due to Covid-19 is rising. In December, there were 42 percent more than in November, and the number of treatments in intensive care units had risen by 62 percent. However, these figures are only based on reports from 50 countries in Europe and North and South America, he said. It can be assumed that infections have also risen in other countries that no longer inform the WHO.
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