The Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 are likely to rise in the coming months as northern hemisphere temperatures drop.
During a recent press conference in Geneva, he nevertheless praised the overall trend, highlighting a decline in reported deaths worldwide.
He also warned that Omicron sub-variants remain highly transmissible and could become even more contagious and harmful.
Vaccine coverage stays insufficient for those at highest risk, with particularly low uptake in low-income countries.
Even in wealthier nations, about 30 percent of healthcare workers and 20 percent of older adults remain unvaccinated. These gaps threaten public health, making it essential to get vaccinated if eligible and to receive a booster when advised.
For these reasons, he urged the global population not to forget the pandemic. Living with COVID-19 does not mean pretending the virus is gone. Walking in the rain without an umbrella is a poor analogy, but it illustrates the risk of denying ongoing transmission.
Instead, he emphasized that living with COVID-19 involves practical precautions and prudence. He called on all governments to update policies to make the best use of life-saving tools for responsible COVID-19 management.