Globally, COVID-19 deaths dropped nearly 90% from nine months ago, but the World Health Organization chief urged vigilance against the pandemic as variants continue to appear. Last week, just over 9,400 deaths linked to Coronavirus were reported to the WHO by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The number of deaths worldwide exceeded 75,000 in February of this year, he said.
Despite our challenges, we have made remarkable progress, and this is definitely cause for optimism. At WHO’s Geneva headquarters, he called on governments, communities and individuals to remain vigilant. “Almost 10,000 deaths a week is 10,000 too many for a disease that can be prevented and treated.” According to the WHO chief, testing and sequencing rates remain low globally, vaccine gaps remain wide, and new variants continue to emerge.