The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about handling COVID-19 worldwide. “Although we are not in a crisis, COVID-19 remains a threat to global health,” said epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove in Geneva on Friday. Too few people are vaccinated, and too few protective measures are being taken. These include wearing masks when people gather, keeping people with symptoms at home, and keeping rooms well ventilated.
More must be done to better investigate and treat the long-term consequences of a coronavirus infection. According to Van Kerkhove, it is estimated that six percent of people who have a coronavirus infection with symptoms experience long-term complications. These include severe fatigue, neurological conditions, and heart disease.
Long-term complications occur when symptoms persist for more than three months. The WHO is concerned about what consequences will still be visible in five or more years’ time. These are all good reasons to avoid infections as much as possible. The vaccines protect against severe cases. Older people over 75 and younger people with other illnesses or weak immune systems should receive a booster every six to twelve months.
The WHO criticizes the fact that there is hardly any testing in many countries. The actual number of cases is likely to be far higher than the reported cases. Wastewater investigations suggest that the virus circulates two to 19 times more than the reported figures. By the end of 2023, around seven million deaths from COVID-19 had been reported to the WHO. The true figure is likely to be at least three times higher, Van Kerkhove said.
– source: APA/picture: pixabay.com
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