COVID still 'very much with us' with 20% of tests positive in Europe, WHO warns

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging governments to strengthen vaccine campaigns.

Transcript

00:00COVID-19 infections are surging globally, including at the Paris Olympics.

00:05According to the WHO, the virus is unlikely to decline any time soon.

00:10The virus is circulating in all countries.

00:12Data from our Sentinel-based systems across 84 countries reports

00:16that the percent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising over the last several weeks.

00:23Overall, test positivity is above 10%, but this fluctuates by region.

00:28In Europe, percent positivity is over 20%.

00:31The UN Health Agency is also warning that more severe variants of the coronavirus

00:36may soon be on the horizon. The Olympic Games have not been spared.

00:42In recent months, regardless of the season,

00:44many countries have experienced surges of COVID-19, including at the Olympics.

00:49Currently, there are at least 40 athletes who have tested positive.

00:52The WHO is urging governments to strengthen their vaccination campaigns,

00:56making sure that the highest-risk groups get vaccinated every 12 months.