Covid explosion: WHO warns of fresh wave; says `pandemic nowhere near over’

Covid is rearing its ugly head again. World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a fresh wave of Covid-19 infection shows the pandemic is “nowhere near over”. 

“New waves of the virus demonstrate again that Covid-19 is nowhere near over,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference, 

“The virus is running freely and countries are not effectively managing the disease burden based on their capacity, in terms of both hospitalization for acute cases and the expanding number of people with the post-Covid condition, often referred to as Long Covid,” he said.

WHO emergency committee on Covid-19 said the pandemic remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Meanwhile, India logged 16,906 new coronavirus infections pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,36,69,850, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The death toll climbed to 5,25,519 with 45 new fatalities, the data stated.

The active Covid cases have increased to 1,32,457. 

According to the ministry, 199.12 crore doses of the Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Children below 12 may have to wait longer for covid-19 vaccines despite the drug regulator clearing it in April, as fewer infections and lower mortality among children, as well as limited uptake among children above 12, delay a decision.

Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on 26 April granted emergency use authorization for Biological E’s Corbevax for those aged five to 12 years, and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children aged six to 12 years. Since then, the National Technical Advisory Group of Immunization (NTAGI) has met several times to evaluate pediatric vaccination data, an official aware of the matter said.