COVID-19 situation is worsening globally, warns WHO chief

The coronavirus pandemic is worsening globally, even as the situation in Europe is improving, the head of the World Health Organization warned.

"About 75% of cases reported to the UN health agency on Sunday came from 10 countries in the Americas and South Asia.

He noted that more than 100,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past 10 days — and that the 136,000 cases reported Sunday was the biggest number so far," at a press briefing, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, Hindustan Times reported.

Tedros said most countries in Africa are still seeing an increase in cases, including in new geographic areas even though most countries on the continent have fewer than 1,000 cases.

"At the same time, we're encouraged that several countries around the world are seeing positive signs," Tedros said. "In these countries, the biggest threat now is complacency."

The WHO's emergency director Michael Ryan said, "There may be situations with mass gatherings where local public health officials, on the basis of an abundance of caution, could advise people either to quarantine or to get tested."

He further asserted that, "We would hope that in any mass gathering now. People who have had now four to five months to really internalise, that someone who is unwell, should really be at home and not engaged in any public activity. But we would always defer to national and sub-national authorities if they wish and need to take necessary public health actions that are based on risk assessment, that is based on scientific evidence."

After East Asia, Europe became the epicentre of the disease, but has now been overtaken by the Americas.

Globally, the novel coronavirus has killed more than 403,000 people and a total of 71,13,366 are infected. With 1,36,000 cases reported in a day, the world recorded its highest daily jump of cases, on which the WHO chief said, "More than six months into the pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal."

"More than 100,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past 10 days," Tedros said and added that almost 75 percent of Sunday's cases came from 10 countries – mostly in the Americas and South Asia, The Statesman reported.

He added that most countries in Africa are still seeing an increase in Coronavirus cases, including in new geographic areas even though most countries on the continent have fewer than 1,000 cases.

Tedros further said that in countries where the situation was improving, "the biggest threat is now complacency", adding that "most people globally are still susceptible to infection".

Reacting on the wave of protests across the United States over the killing of George Floyd on May 25 in police custody, the WHO chief said that the world body fully supports equality and the global movement against racism and rejects discrimination of all kinds.

He, however, called for social distancing while protesting. "We encourage all those protesting around the world to do so safely.

"As much as possible, keep at least one metre from others, clean your hands, cover your cough and wear a mask if you attend a protest."

"Stay home if you are sick and contact a health care provider," Tedros was quoted as saying by AFP.

Tedros, meanwhile, added that the WHO had so far shipped more than five million items of personal protective equipment to 110 countries.

The global health body aims to ship more than 129 million items of PPE to 126 nations.

Meanwhile, Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist, said that many countries doing contact tracing had identified asymptomatic cases but were not finding that they caused further spread of the virus, adding: "It is very rare".