Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) GENEVA - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday warned anew against complacency in fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), urging for coordinated action and political commitments to save lives and prevent economic and health damage from the ongoing pandemic. "(Covid-19) pandemic is not over, but the end is in sight . Being able to see the end does not mean we are at the end," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated at a press briefing on Thursday. He cited as reasons that the pandemic is still inflicting a death toll of 10,000 per week, most of which could be prevented, while large vaccination gaps exist especially in low- and middle-income countries. "That means everyone needs to use, when needed, the simple tools that are available to stay safe: distancing, masks and ventilation. And
Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) GENEVA - The World Health Organization (WHO) sounded the alarm on Wednesday over a global spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases despite reduced testing and several weeks of declining infections. WHO said cases are especially on the rise in parts of Asia, urging for vaccination coverage to be extended and caution to be exercised in lifting pandemic response measures. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press briefing that globally increasing cases despite reduced testing "means the cases we are seeing are just the tip of the iceberg." He added: "Continued local outbreaks and surges are to be expected, particularly in areas where measures to prevent transmission have been lifted." Maria van Kerkhove, WHO's Covid-19 technical lead, said over 11 million cases have been reported to