The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning, advising people to avoid crowded places and use masks and sanitizers.
New Delhi: The coronavirus, which once again has started spreading its wings, continues to affect the entire world. New cases of COVID-19 are emerging, and during this period, a new variant of the virus has also surfaced. The number of cases has increased by 52% in the past four weeks, with over 850,000 new cases reported during this period, as per WHO. WHO has reported an 8% decrease in the number of new deaths in the last 28 days, with over 3,000 new deaths recorded.
More than seven million deaths so far WHO states that as of December 17, 2023, globally, there have been over 772 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly seven million deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Additionally, with a cumulative growth of 23% and 51%, over 118,000 new COVID-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals, with more than 1,600 patients in ICU. Due to the rapid spread, the JN.1, BA.2.86 Omicron variant has been named a Variant of Interest (VOI) distinct from the BA.2.86 lineage in recent weeks.
Concerns about the rise of respiratory diseases Due to the rapid transmission, WHO is categorizing the JN.1 variant as a separate Variant of Interest (VOI) from the BA.2.86 lineage. Despite a decrease in the overall global public health risk posed by JN.1, it may increase the burden of respiratory infections, particularly in the northern hemisphere. WHO continues to monitor the situation and will update the risk assessment for JN.1 as necessary. It is noted that current vaccines remain effective in protecting against severe illness and death caused by JN.1 and other circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. COVID-19 is not the only respiratory disease on the rise, as influenza, RSV, and common childhood pneumonia are also increasing.
