WHO released the latest report on the new crown epidemic on its official website from April 4 to April 10 on its official website. The WHO said the global decrease in cases is related to the decrease in testing. The report first claimed that including the week, the number of new infections worldwide has declined for three consecutive weeks, of which 24% fell from the previous week. At the same time, the number of deaths also showed a downward trend, down 18% from the week from the 4th to the 10th. However, the report also mentioned that the trend of declining cases and deaths should be carefully treated and interpreted, because "many countries are actively changing their COVID-19 testing strategies, resulting in a decline in overall testing, which in turn leads to a decrease in the number of cases." (See Figure 1 in the original text)
The report further pointed out that since the beginning of 2022, although "many member states have been observed to reduce the number of new crown tests", the spread of the new crown epidemic is still fierce, and the death data of unvaccinated high-risk populations are still very high. The extremely contagious Omickron strain has quickly replaced other strains and become the world's dominant strain. (See Figure 2 in the original text)
WHO says global case reduction trend should be treated with caution. The report also pointed out that although the toxicity of Omickron is relatively reduced, data show that the strain still has a higher risk of causing severe illness in unvaccinated people. At the same time, the surge in cases caused by the Omickron strain has also led to a sharp increase in the number of hospitalizations, putting pressure on the medical system, and brought death data in some countries no less than the peaks of the previous rounds of the epidemic. (See Figure 3 in the original text)
Source: Global Times
