Tip Of The Iceberg Says WHO As The World Appears To Be Heading Towards Another COVID Wave

World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over and that another wave is very likely.

Now the world seems to be heading in that direction as several countries are reporting a record spike in new infections.

"These increase are occurring despite reductions in testing in some countries, which means the cases we're seeing are just the tip of the iceberg," WHO's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

AP

Stealth Omicron behind new surge

A combination of factors was causing the increases, including the highly transmissible Omicron variant and its cousin the BA.2 sub-variant, and the lifting of public health and social measures, the WHO said.

New infections jumped by 8% globally compared to the previous week, with 11 million new cases and just over 43,000 new deaths reported from March 7-13. It is the first rise since the end of January.

The biggest jump was in the WHO¡¯s Western Pacific region, which includes South Korea and China, where cases rose by 25% and deaths by 27%.

Reuters

Africa also saw a 12% rise in new cases and 14% rise in deaths, and Europe a 2% rise in cases but no jump in deaths.

More than half a million cases in UK

In the UK, COVID-19 cases have risen up by more than half a million in the last seven days as infections continue to soar across the country.

The UK Health Security Agency confirmed that 516,289 cases and 744 deaths within 28 days of a positive test have been reported in the last seven days, as of Wednesday 16 March.

On Tuesday, there were 492,103 cases and 714 deaths reported over the previous seven days.

AFP

A new coronavirus variant, dubbed ¡®Stealth Omicron¡¯, is thought to be responsible for around 57 per cent of current cases in England.

Since the beginning of March in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands have also recoded a rise in new cases.

Warning for the US

Experts have warned that the United States could soon see a similar wave to that seen in Europe, potentially driven by BA.2.

The WHO's Maria Van Kerkhove said at the briefing that BA.2 appears to be the most transmissible variant so far.

However, there are no signs that it causes more severe disease and no evidence that any other new variants are driving the rise in cases.

Reuters

China and South Korea

In China, the record surge in cases has forced authorities to impose lockdowns in several cities.

On Thursday, South Korea recorded over 6,00,000 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily spike the country has witnessed so far.

Reuters

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Thursday South Korea reported a record 6,21,328 new daily Covid-19 cases, and a daily record 429 deaths. The latest tally marks a 55 per cent surge in just one day.

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