The vaccinations began in most countries across the world which led to an ease in coronavirus restrictions. As most regions observe a decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) urges to remain cautious during this time. According to the WHO, the countries with a slow rate of vaccination can spread the coronavirus variants to other parts of the world.
The rate of vaccination is comparatively high in the US and the UK. These two countries decided to lift the coronavirus restrictions gradually and bring back life to normalcy. Meanwhile, other countries fight new outbreaks of the more contagious strains of the virus.
The Covid-19 technical lead of the WHO, Maria Van Kerkhove, said the organization is tracking the spread of the virus all across the world. As of now, they observe a spike in coronavirus cases in many countries. According to the WHO officials, the coronavirus cases increased by 3.3% in the European region over the last week. Meanwhile, many people are under the perception that the region got rid of the virus because of its high vaccination rate.
Dr. Michael Ryan, the Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Program from the WHO said that the curve of coronavirus cases in the European countries is not flat yet. He mentioned that most people assume that reopening everything will not lead to an increase in coronavirus cases due to the availability of vaccines. However, this is a false assumption as it will cause a surge in the Covid-19 cases, despite the high vaccination rate.
Also read- Delta Covid Variant Responsible For More Than 50% Cases in the US
The delta variant of the coronavirus is a cause of worry for many countries across the world. This strain became the cause of most of the coronavirus cases in the UK. The recent reports show that it is on the way to become a dominant strain in the US as well. According to the WHO officials, this variant is more contagious than the original strain. Also, it can cause more severe symptoms.
Dr. Ryan said that the countries need to remain extremely careful to avoid risking their progress against the coronavirus. Another surge in the Covid-19 cases can lead to increased hospitalizations and exhaust the health care system. Hence, it is important to stay cautious as the virus is still evolving into new variants.
According to a rough estimate, the coronavirus pandemic cost nearly 4 million lives globally. It also caused 185 million coronavirus cases all across the world. Some countries plan to ease the coronavirus restrictions in the coming months as they increase the vaccination rate. Meanwhile, the other parts of the world suffer from a shortage of oxygen and other health supplies.
The new coronavirus variants have more transmissibility and they can cause more severe infections. While some parts of the world struggle with the new variants, other countries plan to ease the restrictions. This can allow the virus to mutate further as a significant number of the world population is still unvaccinated. These facts stirred a conversation among the WHO officials as they warn the countries against spreading the new coronavirus variants.
