The head of the United Nations health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated on Wednesday that holiday gatherings and the increased transmission of the dominant COVID-19 variant globally contributed to a rise in cases last month.
He reported nearly 10,000 deaths in December, with a 42% increase in hospital admissions in nearly 50 countries, mainly in Europe and the Americas. Despite being lower than the peak of the pandemic, Tedros emphasized that this level of preventable deaths is unacceptable.
The WHO director-general urged governments to maintain surveillance, provide continued access to treatments and vaccines, and acknowledged the prominence of the JN.1 variant, a subtype of the omicron variant. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, highlighted an increase in respiratory diseases globally, including coronavirus, flu, rhinovirus, and pneumonia. She anticipated these trends to continue into January in the northern hemisphere and noted rising COVID-19 cases in the southern hemisphere.
WHO recommends vaccination, mask-wearing, and ensuring proper ventilation in indoor spaces to combat the co-circulation of various pathogens. Dr. Michael Ryan, head of emergencies at WHO, emphasized that vaccines significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization or death.
