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Reuters
The worst could be to come in the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned, six months after the start of the outbreak.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus would infect many more people if governments did not start implementing the correct policies.
His message remained “Test, trace, isolate and quarantine,” he said.
More than 10 million cases have been recorded worldwide since the coronavirus emerged in China late last year.
The number of patients who died now exceeds 500,000. Half of the world’s cases have been in the United States and Europe, but Covid-19 is growing rapidly in the Americas.
The virus is also affecting southern Asia and Africa, where it is not expected to peak until the end of July.
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Dr. Tedros said in a virtual briefing on Monday: “We all want this to end. We all want to get on with our lives. But the harsh reality is that this is not even close to being over.”
“Although many countries have made some progress, globally the pandemic is actually accelerating.”
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“With 10 million cases now and half a million deaths, unless we address the problems we have already identified at WHO, the lack of national unity and the lack of global solidarity and the divided world that is actually helping the virus to spread … the worst is yet to come, “he said.
“I’m sorry to say that, but with this type of environment and conditions we fear the worst.”
It also urged more governments to follow the lead of Germany, South Korea and Japan, which kept their outbreak under control through policies that included rigorous testing and tracing.
Which are the most affected countries?
The United States has reported more than 2.5 million cases and nearly 126,000 Covid-19 deaths so far, more than any other nation.
The US states that emerged from the closure in recent weeks, especially in the south, have reported sharp increases in new infections in recent weeks.
The increase has prompted officials in Texas, Florida and other states to tighten restrictions on business again.
The country with the second highest number of registered cases is Brazil, with a total of 1.3 million, and deaths over 57,000.
A state of emergency was declared on Monday in the capital, Brasilia, after a sudden increase there.
Like most Brazilian governors and mayors, local authorities in Brasilia eased restrictions on social distancing earlier this month and allowed stores to reopen
In the United Kingdom, the country with the highest number of deaths in Western Europe, the mayor of Leicester said that pubs and restaurants could remain closed for two more weeks due to an increase in cases.
Restrictions in the rest of England will be eased over the weekend, and bars, restaurants, hairdressers and hotels may reopen.
