WHO Warns: COVID-19 Still Claims 1,700 Lives Weekly

In a recent press conference, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a stark warning: COVID-19 continues to claim 1,700 lives each week. Despite ongoing fatalities, data indicates a decline in vaccine protection among healthcare workers and individuals over 60—groups most at risk of severe illness.

The WHO recommends that individuals in high-risk categories receive a COVID-19 vaccine within 12 months of their last dose. To date, the WHO has reported over 7 million deaths due to the virus, though the actual toll of the pandemic is believed to be significantly higher.

COVID-19 has disrupted economies and crippled healthcare systems globally. In May 2023, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the end of COVID-19 as a global health emergency, marking over three years since the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019.

The WHO urges governments to continue monitoring and sequencing viruses and to ensure the availability of reliable and affordable tests, treatments, and vaccines.