The WHO Reported A 'Tsunami' Of New COVID Cases As Omicron Set A Global Record

The world just set a record for new COVID-19 cases over the last week, the WHO reports, although the number of deaths declined.

The World Health Organizations says there was a 71% spike in COVID-19 cases over the previous week, as the Omicron variant continues to spread around the globe.

Countries reported 9.5 million new cases last week, the head of the WHO said in his opening remarks at a media briefing.

“Last week, the highest number of COVID-19 cases were reported so far in the pandemic,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

He added that 9.5 million is an estimate, and it might be lowballing the actual number of cases because of a backlog in tests that the world is currently seeing due to the holiday season.

The good news is that although cases are reaching all-time highs, the number of deaths has actually decreased, reported ABC News.

However, Dr. Tedros still warned that “the tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world.”

He once again stressed that the global vaccination rate must reach 70% by mid-2022 if we hope us to put the pandemic behind us for good.

In his speech, Dr. Tedros also repeated the importance of keeping up public and social health measures like wearing proper masks, avoiding crowds and only meeting in well-ventilated areas.

Most importantly, he talked about ending the inequity of vaccine distribution and pointed on that we're not on pace to hit that mid-2022 vaccine target for everyone.

“Booster after booster in a small number of countries will not end a pandemic while billions remain completely unprotected,” he said.

Dr. Tedros pointed out that there are still countries out there that haven’t even managed to give some people a first dose. Meanwhile, wealthier countries are moving on to handing out third and fourth doses.

He ended his speech by giving the reminder that: “We need health for peace and peace for health.”