The head of the World Health Organization on Monday warned that the COVID-19 crisis is going to get “worse and worse” as countries around the world continue to see upticks in new cases.
There have been nearly 13 million cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, reported around the world. As of Monday, 569,668 have died from the virus, and more than 7.1 million have recovered. The world population currently stands at 7.8 billion.
With a population of 209.5 million, Brazil has emerged as an epicenter of the virus and has tallied the second-highest number of confirmed cases behind the U.S. at more than 1.8 million and 72,100 deaths.
“Let me be blunt: Too many countries are headed in the wrong direction. The virus remains public enemy number one,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a virtual press conference.
He cautioned that the pandemic is likely to get worse if countries fail to abide by suggested health care precautions.
“If basics are not followed, the only way this pandemic is going to go, it is going to get worse and worse and worse,” Mr. Tedros said. “But it does not have to be this way.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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