WHO "Corona Not Over Anywhere... Recommends Wearing Masks"

Decision to Maintain COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Governments Worldwide Must Enforce Mask Wearing and Ventilation Measures

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced the decision to maintain the international public health emergency (PHEIC) for COVID-19.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on the 12th (local time) that it will maintain the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as COVID-19 infections are spreading again in Europe and the United States.

The Emergency Committee released a statement saying, "Considering the increase in confirmed cases occurring in many countries, the continuous evolution of the virus, and the pressure on medical institutions during the disease response process, the COVID-19 epidemic situation should still be regarded as an emergency."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing held in Geneva, Switzerland, that day, "The Omicron (BA.1) subvariant (BA.5) is increasing the number of infections and causing additional deaths."

BA.5 is driving the global resurgence of COVID-19. According to a WHO report released on the 6th, BA.5 was detected in 83 countries as of the end of last month. Also, the proportion of BA.5 among COVID-19 variants detected worldwide increased from 37% in the third week of last month to 52% in the fourth week (June 19?25). Considering BA.5's rapid transmissibility, it is estimated that the current figure is even higher.

Director-General Ghebreyesus stated, "The recent resurgence proves that COVID-19 is not over yet," and recommended reinstating measures such as mask-wearing. He also urged the effective distribution of test kits, treatments, and vaccines.

PHEIC is the highest level of public health alert that WHO can declare. When an outbreak of a specific disease is designated as a PHEIC, WHO is equipped to strongly promote various research, funding support, and international health measures to suppress it.

WHO has maintained the PHEIC status for COVID-19 for over two and a half years since declaring it in January 2020.

Meanwhile, domestically, the COVID-19 epidemic is also shifting back into a phase of resurgence. From midnight to 9 p.m. yesterday, 38,734 new confirmed cases were reported nationwide. This number of new cases is more than double that of one week ago and nearly four times higher compared to two weeks ago.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.