Remain Vigilant Amidst Covid-19 Variants: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) have called on global citizens to remain mindful of the possible health risks of the Covid-19 virus, as the disease continues to change and circulate due to the arrival of various sub-lineages including XBB.1.5, XXB.1.16 and EG.5, the agency revealed this Tuesday. WHO Interim Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, Maria Van Kerkhove spoke during a discussion of its social media platform, illuminating the lingering state of the virus’ propagation across the globe.
Aside from ongoing transmissions and treatments, Van Kerkhove also disclosed potential post-Covid ailments known collectively as ‘long Covid’, affirming that “vaccination with Covid-19 vaccines does reduce the risk of post-Covid condition”.
In comparison to current vaccine protocols which prioritize extreme exposure contexts, Global citizens are urged to also vaccinate recently formulated influenza virus variants, in order to mitigate the risks of fightting the seasonal statistics004 of sustained illnesses,Van Kerkhole stresses that “We have to remain vigilant because the virus is circulating, evolving and changing.”
The WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern on January 30th 2020, lasting until it was discontinued on early this year May 5th. Though pandemic sounded the alarm on a global scale, Kerckhove recommends that people stay safe, “…We don’t see a change in severity [of the variants] compared to other strain sub-lines, though we’ve seen a slow and steady increase in its detection around the world”.
