Pandemic isn't slowing down: WHO chief scientist
Geneva: The WHO's Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is not slowing down considering the cases and number of deaths.
In an interview to Bloomberg Television, Soumya Swaminathan said, "In the last 24 hours, close to 500,000 new cases have been reported and about 9,300 deaths -- now that's not a pandemic that's slowing down."
The spread of the delta variant is clear evidence that the pandemic isn't on the wane, said Swaminathan.
According to the scientist, the delta variant is fast-spreading due to slow vaccination rollouts globally and the relaxation of safety measures like mask mandates and physical distancing rules.
The WHO study stated that all viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, change over time. Most changes have little to no impact on the virus’ properties.
However, some changes may affect the virus’s properties, such as how easily it spreads, the associated disease severity, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicines, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures.
