Covid-19 pandemic is ‘nowhere near over’: WHO

Fresh waves of Covid infections show the pandemic is "nowhere near over", the World Health Organization's chief warned yesterday, voicing concern the virus is "running freely".

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was worried that case numbers were continuing to rise, putting further pressure on stretched health systems and  workers.

"New waves of the virus demonstrate again that Covid-19 is nowhere near over," he told a news conference, adding: "As the virus pushes at us, we must push back."

"As Covid-19 transmission and hospitalisations rise, governments must also deploy tried and tested measures like masking, improved ventilation and test and treat protocols," Tedros insisted.

The WHO's emergency committee on Covid-19 met on Friday and determined the pandemic remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern  -- the highest alarm the WHO can sound.

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told the meeting global Covid cases reported to the WHO increased by 30 percent in the last two weeks, largely driven by Omicron sub-variants BA.4, BA.5.