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WHO report says animals likely source of COVID-19

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. The findings were large as expected and left many questions unanswered. The team proposed further research in every area except the lab leak hypothesis.

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WHO says global rise in COVID cases is 'tip of the iceberg'

Figures showing a global rise in COVID-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the WHO said, warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus.

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COVID pushed over half a billion into extreme poverty: UN report

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to halt two decades of global progress towards Universal Health Coverage, according to reports released on Sunday from the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank

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COVID pushed over half a billion into extreme poverty: UN report

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to halt two decades of global progress towards Universal Health Coverage, according to reports released on Sunday from the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank

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Blanket travel bans will not prevent int'l spread of Omicron variant: WHO

GENEVA, Dec 1: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, even as dozens of countries have already introduced such restrictions. Although labeling Omicron as a "variant of concern", the WHO said blanket travel bans will only place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods, while also "disincentivizing countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data." The Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO by South Africa last week. So far, several countries and regions have confirmed cases of infection with Omicron. "It is expected that the Omicron variant will be detected in an increasing number of countries as national authorities step up their surveillance and sequencing activities," WHO said in an updated travel advice. As of Nov. 28, 56 countries were reportedly implementing travel measures aimed at potentially delaying the importation of the new variant, according to the WHO. At a member states session on the Omicron variant on Tuesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Botswana and South Africa for detecting and reporting this variant so rapidly. It is deeply worrying that these countries were being penalized by others for doing the right thing, he said. He called the "blunt, blanket measures" introduced by some member states "not evidence-based or effective on their own." He urged countries to take "rational, proportional risk-reduction measures, in keeping with the International Health Regulations." Meanwhile, the WHO advised that persons "who are unwell, or who have not been fully vaccinated or do not have proof of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and are at increased risk of developing severe disease and dying, including people 60 years of age or older or those with comorbidities that present increased risk of severe COVID-19 (e.g. heart disease, cancer and diabetes) should be advised to postpone travel to areas with community transmission." "Studies are ongoing to understand more about these mutations (of the Omicron variant) and their impact on transmissibility, virulence, diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines," it said.

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Omicron detected in various countries, WHO says unclear whether it's more dangerous

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Europe reports largest weekly increase in COVID-19 cases: WHO

GENEVA, Nov. 13: Europe reported almost two million new COVID-19 infections last week, the largest weekly case count in the region since the start of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said here on Friday. There were also almost 27,000 coronavirus-related deaths in Europe, more than half of all COVID-19 deaths in the world last week, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing. He said that COVID-19 cases have been surging not only in countries with lower vaccination rates in Eastern Europe, but also in countries with some of the world's highest vaccination rates in Western Europe. According to the WHO's weekly report on COVID-19, during the week of Nov. 1-7, the WHO European Region reported 1,949,419 new cases, a seven percent week-on-week increase, while other regions reported declines or stable trends. Europe's 26,726 new deaths represented a ten percent weekly jump, while other regions showed decreasing trends. Of the European region's 61 countries, 26 reported increases of ten percent or more in the number of new cases in the past week, with the highest numbers coming from Russia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. "Some European countries are now reintroducing restrictions to curb transmission and take the pressure off their health systems," Tedros said. "We continue to recommend the tailored and proportionate use of testing, masks, physical distancing, measures to prevent crowding, improved ventilation, and more. And get vaccinated when it's your turn. Every country must constantly assess its situation and adjust its approach accordingly," he said. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, has recently noted that the surge in cases in Europe was occurring as temperatures were dropping and people were moving back inside with the perception that the pandemic was nearing the end. Meanwhile, some exhausted health workers were leaving the profession and some hospitals across Europe were forced to shut down their intensive care units and critical care services. What is happening in Europe despite the availability of vaccines is "a warning shot for the world," Ryan said. "We all have to double down and recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to be the last person in the chain of transmission." "I think every country now needs to look at its epidemiology, look at protecting its health workforce or its health system and ensure that it can get through the next few months without systems going into collapse again."

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Worldwide failure to invest in mental health during pandemic: WHO

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) points to a global failure to provide people with the mental health services they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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WHO to revive probe into COVID-19 origins

GENEVA, September 27: The World Health Organization (WHO) is looking to revive an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19, a US media report said.  The world health body is assembling a team of 20 scientists to hunt for new evidence, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported. According to the WSJ report, the new probe comes following an initial WHO inquiry found that that the data provided by Chinese scientists was insufficient to answer key questions about the virus' origin.  The report stated that the new team of scientists, which includes specialists in laboratory safety and biosecurity and experts in geneticists, may be charged with examining whether the novel virus emerged from a lab, as well as broader inquiries into future virus risks and the links with human behaviour.  WHO believes that the new initiative will help accelerate a probe that risks running out of time, and blood samples from early virus victims become unusable.  Earlier in August, the US had released a report tracing the origins of the COVID-19 virus. While rejecting the report, Beijing had lodged solemn representations with Washington terming the report as "completely political, and having no scientificity and credibility."  In a strongly-worded statement, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu had said the US should "stop poisoning" the international cooperation on virus tracing and return to the correct path of scientific origins tracing and cooperation in the fight against the pandemic.  The declassified summary of a report stated that the US Intelligence Community (IC) assesses that the origins of the novel coronavirus disease may never be definitively identified without additional information.  According to the report, the US intelligence community is still divided about which of the two theories -- that the virus came from a lab leak or that it jumped from animal to human, naturally. There is consensus among the intelligence agencies that the two prevailing theories are plausible, the report said.  A WHO-led team of scientists that travelled to China in early 2021 to investigate the origins of the virus struggled to get a clear picture of what research China was conducting beforehand, faced constraints during its visit, and had little power to conduct thorough and impartial research.

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World Insights: Experts warn imminent third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India

NEW DELHI, Sept. 1: With scars of the deadly second wave of COVID-19 still fresh in the minds of Indians, health experts have already warned about a third wave of the pandemic hitting the country in the upcoming months. Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country's leading organization of doctors, warned in July that the third wave of the pandemic was inevitable and imminent, based on the global evidence available and the history of pandemics. IMMINENT THIRD WAVE The Indian government on Tuesday reported 30,941 new cases in the last 24 hours, dropping from around 40,000 in the previous days. Authorities have almost opened up markets and relaxed the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of infection. Educational institutions have also been reopened in most states. Despite the relaxed restrictions, a panel under the Ministry of Home Affairs has warned that the third wave of COVID-19 may hit India between September and October. The panel has recommended that the federal government should step up the inoculation drive significantly to tame the imminent surge in infections. In its report to the Prime Minister's office, the panel has underscored a critical need of paediatric facilities, including doctors, staff, and equipment like ventilators and ambulances, adding that the available infrastructure was "nowhere close" to the requirement if the need arose. "STAGE OF ENDEMICITY" Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO), recently told a news portal that COVID-19 in India may be entering "some kind of stage of endemicity where there is a low or moderate level of transmission going on." "We are not seeing the kinds of exponential growth and peaks that we saw a few months ago," Swaminathan said. The scientist added that while it is possible that a large number of children could get infected in the third wave, they are unlikely to fall seriously ill. She mentioned specifically that there is no need to be panic on this score although it is advisable to be prepared for more infections in children. "We can take from the serosurvey and what we learnt from other countries that while it is possible that children could get infected and transmit, children luckily have very mild illness most of the time and there is a small percentage (of children) that get sick and get inflammatory complications," she said, adding that children's death rate will be "much much less" than the adults. THE WAY OUT A report by a group of experts with the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) said if the current vaccination rate of 7.6 percent does not go up, India can witness 600,000 cases per day in the third wave. But if the government's proposal to increase this rate by five times to 10 million doses per day comes to fruition, India will see only 25 percent of the cases seen in the second wave during its third wave peak, it added, saying that vaccination is the only way out. Last week India's federal health minister said that 50 percent of India's eligible population (currently above 18) had received their first jab of the vaccine. The country's drug regulator has also approved Zydus Cadila's vaccine for children above 12, but the drive is yet to begin. PREPARATIONS IN PLACE Vinod Paul, member of the National Institution for Transforming India, recently said that in the upcoming surge of COVID-19, there will be a hospitalization rate of 23 percent. Paul, who is also heading the COVID-19 task force of the federal government, warned that in September, India can witness a staggering 400,000 to 500,000 daily infections and has asked the federal government to prepare 200,000 ICU beds. State governments are taking precautions ahead of the possible third wave to hit India during September and October. In the hardest-hit state of Maharashtra, the local government has decided to appoint 1,200 doctors by Sept. 5, the state's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said. Tope added that the state will increase production of oxygen to 2,000 metric tons per day from 1,200-1,300 metric tons, and will have granted primary health care centers 500 more ambulances by Sept. 30, adding to the existing 500. In Gujarat, authorities have set up 15,000 pediatric oxygen beds. "The need of the hour is to prepare for the third wave if and when it hits the nation," the NIDM report highlighted. "India's second wave of COVID-19 and the challenges posed have been alarming and need strong policy interventions at all levels with immediate, short, and medium- to long-term priorities, in order to be best prepared for the third wave."

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COVID-19 Risks Of Second Wave

Globally, new COVID-19 cases rose sharply with over 4.5 million cases reported in a week's time. The number of new deaths increased by 7 per cent as compared to two weeks ago, with over 76,000 new deaths as per the report of WHO.

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