World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the world is in a dangerous phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and the virus variants like Delta have continued to evolve and mutate.
During a press briefing, the WHO chief, "Compounded by more transmissible variants, like Delta, which is quickly becoming the dominant strain in many countries, we are in a very dangerous period of this pandemic".
"But no country is out of the woods yet. The Delta variant is dangerous and is continuing to evolve and mutate, which requires constant evaluation and careful adjustment of the public health response," he was quoted as saying in a PTI report.
The Delta variant has been detected in nearly 98 countries and has a tendency to spread quickly regardless of high or low vaccination coverage.
"Public health and social measures like strong surveillance, strategic testing, early case detection, isolation and clinical care remain critical," he said, adding that "masking, physical distance, avoiding crowded places and keeping indoor areas well ventilated are the basis for the response".
He also urged world leaders to work together and to ensure that by mid next year, 70 per cent of all people in every country are vaccinated.
"This is the best way to slow the pandemic, save lives, drive a truly global economic recovery and along the way prevent further dangerous variants from getting the upper hand. By the end of this September, we're calling on leaders to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of people in all countries," he said.
