The end of the Covid-19 pandemic is in sight, the head of the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic. We are not there yet, but the end is in sight,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters during a briefing on Covid-19 and other global health issues.
The number of newly reported Covid cases has dropped to the lowest level since March 2020.
The WHO's latest epidemiological report on Covid-19 shows that the number of reported cases fell 28 per cent to 3.1 million during the week ending September 11, following a 12 per cent drop a week earlier.
However, as the rest of the world gradually lifts restrictions, China continues to lock down parts of the country and conduct mass testing to eradicate coronavirus within its borders.
New research suggests at least 17 million people in the European Union may have experienced long Covid-19 symptoms during the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic, with women more likely than men to suffer from the condition, the WHO said.
The research was unclear on whether the symptoms that linger, recur or first appear at least one month after a coronavirus infection were more common in vaccinated or unvaccinated patients. At least 17 million met the WHO’s criteria of long Covid, with symptoms lasting at least three months in 2020 and 2021, the report said.
But the agency has said that the falling number of reported cases is deceptive, since many countries have cut back on testing and may not be detecting the less serious cases.
“The number of cases that are being reported to WHO we know are an underestimate,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO technical lead on Covid, told reporters.
“We feel that far more cases are actually circulating than are being reported to us,” she said, cautioning that the virus “is circulating at a very intense level around the world at the present time”.
Since the start of the pandemic, the WHO has recorded more than 605 million cases and about 6.4 million deaths, although both those numbers are also believed to be serious undercounts.
In the UAE, 402 new Covid-19 cases were reported on Wednesday after an additional 244,532 tests were carried out in the past 24 hours.
No deaths were reported in the 24-hour reporting period, with the country's toll remaining at 2,342.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
