The world must step up efforts to fight Covid-19 – and countries must not give up, the World Health Organization scientist warned on Monday, as coronavirus cases around the world increase.
“We are in a very risky period,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan of the World Health Organization. “We have to double down, this is not the time to give up.”
The WHO last week warned that new cases of Covid-19 were rising worldwide after six consecutive weeks of decline. More than 2.6 million new cases were reported in the last week of February, up 7% from the previous week, according to the health agency.
He added that the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, Europe and America saw increases of between 6% and 14%.
Although vaccines are on the rise for us in the nation, we cannot let our guard down.
Julie Morita
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
“This is partly due to blockage fatigue, you know. It’s due to people … maybe they get more disappointed because I think vaccines are on the way,” Swaminathan told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday. New variants can also play a role, she added.
“We need to … do everything we know to keep these viruses under control, keep the transmission going until we have enough vaccines,” she said, warning that health care systems could be overloaded again.
“Healthcare workers around the world are exhausted, they have been struggling with this for over a year now,” she added.
Other health experts have also expressed that it is not the time to be satisfied.
Julie Morita, executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said it’s important to recognize that infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are still high, even as they have fallen from their peaks in the United States.
“We still need to wear masks, socialize, avoid crowds while getting vaccinated,” she told CNBC’s Street Signs Asia on Monday.
“Although vaccines are on the rise for us in the country, we can’t let our guard down,” she said. “It’s far too early to be relaxed.”