The global surge in Covid-19 cases during December was significantly driven by holiday gatherings and the widespread prevalence of the JN.1 variant, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). Ghebreyesus disclosed that nearly 10,000 Covid-19-related deaths were reported to the WHO in December. Moreover, there was a 42% increase in hospitalizations and a 62% rise in ICU admissions compared to the previous month, as revealed during a virtual press briefing in Geneva.
These statistics are based on data collected from fewer than 50 countries, primarily in Europe and the Americas, with the WHO Director-General expressing concern that there could be underreported increases in other nations, as per information reported by Xinhua news agency.
Although the WHO no longer considers Covid-19 a global health emergency, Ghebreyesus emphasized that the virus is still actively circulating, mutating, and causing fatalities. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead for Covid-19, attributed the rise in respiratory illnesses worldwide to a combination of the coronavirus, influenza, rhinovirus, and pneumonia. She anticipated these trends to persist into January and throughout the winter months in the northern hemisphere. Vigilance and preventative measures remain crucial to managing the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
(With Agency Inputs)
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