COVID-19 making worrying comeback, WHO warns amid summertime surge
COVID-19 infections are surging worldwide, including at the Olympics, and unlikely to decline anytime soon, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
WHO experts are also concerned that more severe variants of the coronavirus may soon be on the horizon.
“COVID-19 is still very much with us” and circulating widely, warned the agency’s Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove.
Overall, test positivity is above 10 per cent, but above 20 per cent in Europe. New waves of infection have been registered in the Americas, Europe and the western Pacific.
Wastewater surveillance also suggests the circulation of the virus is between two to 20 times higher than current figures indicate.
High infection rates in the northern hemisphere’s summer months are atypical for respiratory viruses, which tend to spread mostly during winter. Here’s Dr. Van Kerkhove briefing journalists in Geneva:
“In recent months, regardless of the season, many countries have experienced surges of COVID-19, including at the Olympics. Currently, there at least 40 athletes who have tested positive. As individuals, it is important to take measures to reduce risk of infection and severe disease, including ensuring that you have had a COVID-19 vaccination dose in the last 12 months, especially, if you are in an at-risk group.”
Ensure horrors of Hiroshima are never repeated: Guterres
The world came together on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, with UN chief António Guterres vowing that the UN will “spare no effort to ensure the horrors of that day are never repeated”.
He bemoaned that the threat of using nuclear weapons remains very real today, arguing that “the lessons of Hiroshima, which once guided our collective efforts towards disarmament and peace, have been pushed aside.”
In a message delivered in the Japanese city by UN disarmament chief Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN Secretary-General said the dedication of Hiroshima’s citizens to the cause of peace was “truly inspirational” in keeping alive the lessons of 1945.
No nuclear war can be won, he said, arguing that “we need disarmament now” while global mistrust and division are only deepening.
“Some are recklessly rattling the nuclear sabre once more,” and the world must stand together to condemn this unacceptable behavior.
He said next month’s Summit of the Future in New York provides “a critical opportunity for governments to renew their commitment to multilateralism, sustainable development and peace and adopt an actionable and forward-looking pact”.
Rights expert denounces ‘deliberate targeting’ of journalists by Israel in Gaza
An independent human rights expert on Tuesday strongly denounced the “deliberate targeting” by Israel of Al Jazeera journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al-Rifi in Gaza on 1 August.
Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, said the killings of the two men by Israeli forces added to “an already appalling” death toll of reporters and media workers since the war in the enclave erupted last October.
“Like many journalists killed in Gaza, Al-Ghoul was wearing a clearly marked press jacket when an Israeli drone missile hit the vehicle,” she said.
Israel’s military confirmed the death and accused him of being a Hamas operative, she noted.
She accused Israeli forces of awarding themselves a “licence to kill” journalists without substantive evidence, “in total contravention of international humanitarian law”.
She stressed that the deliberate targeting of journalists is a war crime.
According to international humanitarian law, journalists only lose their civilian status if they take direct part in hostilities. Israel has not provided concrete evidence in this or other cases.
The independent expert, who is not a UN staffer and receives no salary for her work, expressed concern that none of the cases of journalists killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has ever been transparently investigated nor suspected perpetrators brought to justice.
She called again on Israeli authorities to initiate prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into this and other killings of media workers.
Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved
Source of original article: United Nations (news.un.org). Photo credit: UN. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of Global Diaspora News (www.globaldiasporanews.com).
To submit your press release: (https://www.globaldiasporanews.com/pr).
To advertise on Global Diaspora News: (www.globaldiasporanews.com/ads).
Sign up to Global Diaspora News newsletter (https://www.globaldiasporanews.com/newsletter/) to start receiving updates and opportunities directly in your email inbox for free.
