Paramedics at Bochnia Hospital are wearing protective equipment while transporting a patient suffering from COVID-19 to a local hospital on March 17, 2021 in Bochnia, Poland.
Omar Marques | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The World Health Organization said Monday that the trajectory of the coronavirus pandemic is now “growing exponentially,” with more than 4.4 million new cases of Covid-19 reported in the past week.
Maria Van Kerkhove, technical head of the Covid-19 agency, said “we are at a critical juncture in the pandemic,” as some countries ease the restrictions even as new cases a week are more than eight times higher than a year ago.
“This is not the situation we want it to be in 16 months in a pandemic in which we have tested control measures. Now is the time for everyone to take stock and check the reality of what we need to do,” he said. to say. he said during a press conference. “Vaccines and vaccines are published online, but they are not yet here in all parts of the world.”
Last week, Covid-19 cases rose 9% worldwide, the seventh consecutive weekly increase, and deaths rose 5%, he said, calling on governments to support their citizens in implementing of security measures against the pandemic.
Last month, WHO officials warned of a steady rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths, and urged people to stick to mask mandates and social distancing rules as the world enters. in a critical phase of the pandemic.
The virus is “stronger, it’s faster” with the emergence of new variants that spread more easily and are more deadly than the original wild strain of the virus, said Dr. Mike Ryan, head of the health emergency program of the WHO, on 31 March. “We all fight” and we’re fed up with restrictive blockades, he said.
India has overtaken Brazil as the second most infected country behind the United States after Covid-19 cases continued to rise across India, where a double mutant variant has emerged that could be more contagious and it is spreading rapidly.
In the United States, B.1.1.7, the highly contagious variant of coronavirus first identified in the UK is now the most circulating strain, said last week the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Rochelle Walensky.
Hospitals are also seeing an increase in youth admissions, he said.
Walensky said the U.S. needs to accelerate its vaccination efforts, making an average of about 3.1 million shots a day. “We must continue to vaccinate as many Americans as we can every day,” Walensky said, adding that it will lead to a decrease in new cases and deaths.
The WHO urged the public and world leaders to continue to practice security measures, including social distancing, the use of masks, hand washing and the avoidance of crowded spaces.