The number of new Covid-19 cases worldwide continued to decline for the third week in a row, with a 24% reduction compared to the previous week. The number of weekly deaths also follows the downward trend, with a rate below 18% compared to the previous week.
The data considering the week of April 4 to 10 were released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday (12). In the period, more than 7 million cases and more than 22 thousand deaths were reported, with all regions of the planet showing decreasing trends both in the number of new cases and new deaths per week. As of April 10, over 496 million cases have been confirmed and over 6 million deaths have been reported globally.
Despite the improvement in the epidemiological scenario of the disease, the WHO maintains the classification of Covid-19 as a pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom determined in a statement published on Wednesday that the pandemic remains a public health emergency of international scope (PHEIC).
WHO recommendations
The determination follows the recommendations of the WHO emergency committee board, which will be convened again within three months or sooner, at the discretion of the director-general.
The committee recognized that SARS-CoV-2 is a new respiratory pathogen that has not yet established its ecological niche. The virus continues to have an unpredictable evolution, compounded by wide circulation and intense transmission in humans, as well as by the widespread introduction of infection in a variety of animal species with the potential for the establishment of animal reservoirs.
The WHO committee identified several actions as critical for all countries in combating the pandemic, including supporting the timely use of medicines recommended by the entity and ensuring the availability of essential health, social and education services.
One of the actions involves strengthening the national response to the pandemic by updating national preparedness and response plans in line with the priorities and potential scenarios outlined in the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for 2022 (SPRP).
The council recommends that at least 70% of populations in all countries should be vaccinated by early July 2022. In addition, countries should make adjustments to virus surveillance and lift international traffic bans, reviewing travel measures, based on risk assessments.
According to the WHO, the Vaccination proof requirement for international travel should not be the only path or condition for allowing international travel.
Communication should be prioritized by countries with the aim of informing risk conditions and fight disinformation and fake news.
In the context of research, countries should invest in epidemiological analyzes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between humans and animals and in surveillance directed at potential virus hosts and animal reservoirs.
Source: CNN Brasil
