The head of the World Health Organisation has raised concerns about the "increasing trend" of Covid-19 deaths across the globe - and urged Governments to bring back measures like masking and ventilation. WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the coronavirus pandemic is "nowhere near over".
His comments come as new Office for National Statistics figures show more than 200,000 people in the UK have had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate since the pandemic started. Infections and hospital admissions have once again been on the rise, driven by the coronavirus subvariant Omicron BA.2.
Experts have warned that new variants can re-infect even those with some form of antibody immunity in a matter of weeks. Dr Ghebreyesus urged Governments worldwide to "deploy tried and tested measures like masking, improved ventilation and test and treat protocols".
He told Sky News: "I am concerned that cases of Covid-19 continue to rise - putting further pressure on stretched health systems and health workers. I am also concerned about the increasing trend of deaths."
Among the variants and subvariants being monitored by the WHO is BA.2.75 - nicknamed the centaurus - which was first identified in India in May. Experts say this variant may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infection.
Dr Ghebreyesus added: "New waves of the virus demonstrate again that the Covid-19 is nowhere near over. As the virus pushes at us, we must push back.
"We're in a much better position than at the beginning of the pandemic. Of course, there's been a lot of progress.
"We have safe and effective tools that prevent infections, hospitalisations and deaths. However, we should not take them for granted."
