GENEVA – New Covid-19 cases have surged for the eighth week straight, with more than 5.2 million infections – the most in a week, so far – and alarming hospitalisations reported among people aged between 25 and 59 worldwide, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general yesterday, as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
“Fatalities rose for the fifth week in a row, and more than three million deaths have now been reported to WHO,” said Tedros Ghebreyesus at a twice-weekly webinar here.
He said it took nine months to reach one million deaths, four months to reach two million and three months to reach three million.
“Infections and hospitalisations among people aged 25 to 59 are increasing at an alarming rate, possibly as a result of highly transmissible variants and more social mixing among younger adults.
“Big numbers can make us numb. But each one of these deaths is a tragedy for families, communities and nations.”
He said Covid-19 has now killed more than three million people worldwide.
This week marks Earth Day on April 22, he noted, “a reminder that human health depends on the health of the planet that sustains us”.
He added that air pollution kills more than double the number killed by the coronavirus – seven million people a year.
“Despite temporary improvements in air quality last year as a result of so-called lockdowns, by September, air pollution has returned to pre-pandemic levels.”
Globally, carbon dioxide emissions decreased by only less than 6% last year, but by December, had rebounded to previous levels.
“The health argument for climate action is crystal clear. The same unsustainable choices that are killing our planet are killing people,” said Ghebreyesus. – Bernama, April 20, 2021
