The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday (16) that the global increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 could be just the tip of the iceberg. According to the agency, some countries also report a drop in the testing rate.
New infections rose 8% globally last week compared to the week before. For the WHO, “the pandemic will only end somewhere when it ends in everyone.”
In China, new cases in 2022 already exceed the total number of infected people recorded in 2021. The highly transmissible Omicron variant triggers outbreaks from Shanghai to Shenzhen and poses yet another threat to the national economy, as the country advances in its strategy of “zero-Covid”.
All businesses except those deemed essential have either paused operations or implemented work from home. China differs from many other countries that understand that it is time to learn to live with the virus.
The number of infected also soared in Germany, which recorded a new record of positive cases with an increase of 22% compared to the previous week. The number of cases rose again in early March after rules preventing unvaccinated people from accessing many enclosed public spaces began to be relaxed.
The government argues that while cases are increasing, there is no longer a major risk of overwhelming the health care system due to vaccines and the fact that the dominant variant Ômicron often has milder symptoms.
Brazil
The Ministry of Health is studying to lower the Covid-19 state of health emergency, increasing efforts and studying the possibilities to change the March 2020 decree. The text allowed the government to change regulations and the budget itself in order to implement policies public to fight the virus.
The Ministry is based on the fall in the moving average of the number of cases and mainly deaths from the coronavirus, in addition to the low occupancy of hospital beds. The moving average of deaths has been falling since March 11, recording 415 in the last week.
According to monitoring by the Brazilian Association of Pharmacy and Drugstore Chains (Abrafarma), the number of positive tests for Covid-19 registered in pharmacies in the country continues to fall. In February alone, the volume was 65% lower than the January result.
Still, experts differ on the relaxation of the use of masks in closed environments decreed in cities like Rio de Janeiro and Brasília.
Deltacron
With about 40 cases worldwide, the simultaneous infection by the Delta and Ômicron variants is considered by the researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Marilda Siqueira, as an “extremely rare” phenomenon.
(Posted by Carolina Farias)
Source: CNN Brasil
