World Health Organization (W.H.O.) director for pandemic prevention Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said on Tuesday that the Wuhan coronavirus “is still very much with us,” and warned governments around the world are unprepared for the surge of infections that is now under way.
“The virus is circulating in all countries. Data from our sentinel-based surveillance system across 84 countries reports that the percent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising for several weeks,” Dr. Van Kerkhove said at a press conference in Geneva. SARS-CoV-2 is the proper name of the coronavirus strain that causes Wuhan coronavirus infection, which the W.H.O. renamed “Covid-19” in an attempt to avoid “stigma.”
Van Kerkhove added that at least 40 athletes at the Paris Olympics have tested positive for coronavirus and other respiratory illnesses, despite efforts to screen for the disease.
The Washington Post on Wednesday drew a contrast between the 2021 Tokyo Games, where spectators were banned and participants were forced to take at least three coronavirus tests, and the 2024 Paris Games, “where people who tested positive are competing, there are no testing requirements, and spectators are back in attendance.”
“On the hospitalization rates, we have seen increases in the Americas. We have seen increases in Europe. In recent months, we have seen increases in the Western Pacific,” Van Kerkhove said at her Tuesday press conference.
In addition to reports of rising infections in 35 countries, W.H.O. reported wastewater surveillance data that suggest the total number of infections could be up to 20 times higher than has been reported.
Dean Boxall, Swimming Coach of Team Australia, looks on as he is seen wearing a face mask ahead of the evening Swimming session on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on August 04, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) launched the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) in September 2020, and other countries have similar systems designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 in human feces. W.H.O. believes wastewater surveillance is “an effective approach to monitor community level circulation of the virus.”
Van Kerkhove said she was “concerned” about the “alarming decline in vaccine coverage” since the pandemic was formally concluded in May 2023, particularly among “the most at-risk groups,” including health care staffers and people over 60.
“With such low coverage, with such large circulation, if we were to have a variant that was more severe, then the susceptibility of the at-risk populations to develop severe disease is huge. It is huge in every country,” she said.
“Vaccination with any of the approved vaccines will protect against severe disease and death. It will lower your risk of developing severe disease. It will also lower your risk of developing post-COVID conditions,” she advised.
Infectious disease physician Scott Roberts of the Yale School of Medicine told the Washington Post that the novel coronavirus identified in China “continues to confound me in terms of what it’s doing and how it’s bucking the trends of seasonal patterns of respiratory illness.”
Cleveland Clinic Akron General infectious disease specialist Donald Dumford told Fortune on Wednesday that the best defense against the larger-than-expected “summer surge” is get back to the “basics” of good health.
“Take good care of yourself, get good nutrition and good sleep, and stay hydrated,” Dumford advised.
“For those who are traveling, consider wearing a well-fitting mask while in the airport and while flying,” he added, noting that infected people often choose to “fly while ill” because they “already had a trip planned that they spent a lot of money on.”
