WHO warns ability to identify new Covid variants is diminishing as testing declines

RT: Maria Van Kerkhove, Head a.i. Emerging Diseases and Zoonosis at the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference on the situation of the coronavirus at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, January 29, 2020.

The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that it is struggling to identify and track new Covid variant as governments roll back testing and monitoring.

The WHO's Covid-19 technical lead said the virus is still circulating at an "incredibly intense level" around the world. At a time when there is no longer robust testing in place, the WHO is concerned that it is evolving at a time when it is needed the most.

Van Kerkhove said that the ability to track variant and subvariants around the world is diminishing because of the decline in the number of people watching them. We can't assess the known variant and subvariants because of that.

The director-general of the World Health Organization warned on Thursday that there is an ever present risk of more dangerous variant emerging as the virus continues to spread. The end of the Pandemic is in sight, according to Tedros, contrary to the assertions of President Joe Biden.

We've been in a dark tunnel for two and a half years and we're just starting to see the light at the end, but it's still a long way off and there are many obstacles that could trip us up if we don't.

About 200 omicron sublineages are being tracked by the WHO. She said that the global health body is keeping a close watch on omicron BA. Omicron BA.5 is the fastest spreading variant yet and has been dominant in the U.S.

The health authorities don't know how big a Covid surge will be from season to season. The public health experts think the virus will behave like the flu in the fall and winter.

We have other types of pathogens where we expect a seasonality, but we don't yet have predictability with SARS- CoV-2. We might get there, but we aren't there. The message is we're not there yet.

Tedros said the world is in a better position than it's ever been during the Pandemic. He said that two-thirds of the world's population is vaccine-free.

According to WHO data, weekly covid deaths have fallen across all regions of the world and are now 10% of the peak in January 2021. The number of deaths from Covid fell from the previous week.

Tedros said that life is much like it was before the Pandemic. When most of these deaths could be prevented, 10,000 deaths a week is too many.