Another year has passed where COVID-19 has been part of our reality. While the U.S. remains in a federal public-health emergency free zone, a leader at the World Health Organization voiced concerns on X (formally known as Twitter) about where the world stands at this stage in the pandemic. In a post, Marian Van Kerkhove, M.D. said COVID-19 is “still a global health threat.”
“It’s still a pandemic causing far too many (re)infections, hospitalizations, deaths and long covid when tools exist to prevent them,” she wrote. “Cases and hospitalisations for #COVID19 have been on the rise for months; hospitals in many countries are burdened and overwhelmed from COVID and other pathogens, and deaths are on the rise.” Dr. Van Kerkhove said governments and individuals can’t give in to complacency, emphasizing that the world has gone through something “traumatic.”
“I’m worried that too many think #COVID19 is not something to worry about, that they need a new variant with a Greek letter to take this virus seriously,” she said. “When we need to assign a Greek letter, we will not hesitate.”
The message comes as JN.1, a virus variant in the Pirola clan, is now the most dominant strain in the United States, according to recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) Deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 are also on the rise across the country and other parts of the world. “We can’t forget those who died alone and the people dying now- thousands each week,” Dr. Van Kerkhove said. “The hundreds of thousands in hospital right now fighting for their lives. "Those suffering from #LongCOVID struggling each and every day.”
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