 has sounded the alarm bells as new COVID-19 cases surge by a staggering 52% worldwide in the past month, surpassing 850,000 fresh infections.){kind=link}
The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded the alarm bells as new COVID-19 cases surge by a staggering 52% worldwide in the past month, surpassing 850,000 fresh infections.
Despite a slight reprieve with an 8% decrease in deaths, concerns intensify with the emergence of a new variant, JN.1, raising fears of a winter resurgence.
JN.1, once a part of the BA.2.86 variant, has now gained recognition in its own right due to its rapid spread. While the WHO currently deems the global public health risk from JN.1 as low, persistent worries linger over its potential to heighten respiratory infections, especially with winter setting in across the Northern Hemisphere.
The WHO emphasizes that existing vaccines continue to offer protection against severe illness and fatalities caused by JN.1 and other circulating variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
As the world grapples with this alarming surge and the potential winter threat, global attention remains focused on the urgent need for heightened vigilance, vaccination, and public health measures to curb the escalating crisis.