WHO: New virus cases rising globally for first time in weeks
HEALTHCARE
March 02, 2021 - 07:40 AM EST
WHO: New virus cases rising globally for first time in weeks
BY
ZACK BUDRYK2,073
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The World Health Organization (WHO)
said in a briefing Monday that new coronavirus cases are increasing worldwide for the first time in almost two months.
WHO officials attributed the increase to a combination of premature reopening efforts and the circulation of more infectious variants of the virus.
Michael Ryan, the head of the organization’s health emergencies program, said in a press conference that cases had risen over the last week in every region but Africa and the Western Pacific following six weeks of falling rates. U.S. cases also show signs of plateauing after steadily falling through February. Ryan added that it would be “unrealistic” to expect the pandemic to be fully over by the end of 2021.