WHO: Second COVID-19 Peak Could Occur Within Current, First Wave
The world is still in the middle of the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak, WHO emergencies head Dr Mike Ryan told an online briefing, noting that while cases are declining in many countries they are still increasing in Central and South America, South Asia and Africa.
Countries, where coronavirus infections are declining, could still face an “immediate second peak” if they let up too soon on measures to halt the outbreak, the World Health Organisation said.
“We cannot make assumptions that just because the disease is on the way down now it is going to keep going down and we are going to get a number of months to get ready for a second wave. We may get a second peak in this wave.” Ryan said.
Ryan warned that a second peak or wave could come during the normal influenza season, “which will greatly complicate things for disease control.”
He said countries in Europe and North America should “continue to put in place the public health and social measures, the surveillance measures, the testing measures and a comprehensive strategy to ensure that we continue on a downwards trajectory and we don’t have an immediate second peak.”
Many European countries and U.S. states have taken steps in recent weeks to lift lockdown measures that curbed the spread of the disease but caused severe harm to economies.
