WHO Concerned Over Low Uptake Of COVID-19 Vaccine Among At-Risk People

New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeing concerning trends for COVID-19 ahead of the winter season in the northern hemisphere, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General at WHO said, ringing an alarm during a media briefing on global health issues on September 6 (Wednesday). Giving an insight of the impact of COVID-19 in terms of morbidity and mortality, Dr Tedros said, “Deaths are increasing in some parts of the Middle East and Asia, ICU admissions are increasing in Europe and hospitalisations are increasing in several regions.”

However, the data is still limited. Only 43 countries – less than a quarter of WHO Member States – are reporting deaths to WHO, and only 20 provide information on hospitalisations, he said.

Also Read: Pandemic, Inflation Push 68 Million More In Asia Into Extreme Poverty: Report

Further talking about the emerging variants, Dr Tedros said,

Globally, there is not one variant that is dominant. The variant of interest EG.5 is on the rise, while the XBB sub-variants are declining. The BA.2.86 variant has been detected in small numbers in 11 countries. WHO is monitoring this variant closely to assess its transmissibility and potential impact.

Amid this, one of WHO’s biggest concerns is the low level of COVID-19 vaccination among at-risk people that is older adults and those with comorbidities like heart disease and lung disease. Dr Tedros made a clarion call for vaccination. He said,

One of WHO’s biggest concerns is the low level of at-risk people who have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine recently. Our message is not to wait to get an additional dose if it is recommended for you.

The continuous rise increase in hospitalisations and deaths due to the Novel Coronavirus reflects that COVID-19 is here to stay. “We will continue to need tools to fight it”, said Dr Tedros.

Also Read: WHO Designates Covid’s BA.2.86 As ‘Variant Under Monitoring’

All About Variant Of Interest EG.5

EG.5 is a variant of interest that WHO is tracking. It is a sub-lineage of Omicron with an increased growth advantage which means that it can transmit efficiently between people. In a WHO video explainer dated August 29, 2023, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead said,

We are seeing waves of infections of EG.5 in some countries, meaning that it is outcompeting some of the other variants that are in circulation. We do not see a change in severity which means that EG.5 can infect people and cause the full range of disease from asymptomatic infection all the way to severe disease and death. But the available tools that exist that can prevent infection and can prevent severe disease continue to work against EG.5.

Also Read: “We Are Tracking Several COVID-19 Variants, Including EG.5,” Says WHO Director Dr Tedros

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