The WHO warned that the COVID-19 pandemic would be lengthy and could lead to “response fatigue” as the case count in South Africa topped half a million.
Six months after the WHO declared a global emergency, the novel coronavirus has killed more than 685,000 and infected more than 17.8 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.
South Africa is by far the hardest hit country in the continent, accounting for more than half of its diagnosed infections, although South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the nation’s fatality rate is lower than the global average.
Photo: Reuters
Nigeria on Saturday also announced it would ease a lockdown in the commercial capital, Lagos, allowing churches and mosques to reopen next week.
An emergency WHO committee reviewing the pandemic “highlighted the anticipated lengthy duration of this COVID-19 outbreak, noting the importance of sustained community, national, regional and global response efforts.”
“WHO continues to assess the global risk level of COVID-19 to be very high,” it said in its latest statement.
Mexico overtook the UK to become the third-hardest hit country in virus deaths — after Brazil and the US — with more than 47,400 deaths.
Although many Latin American countries have begun relaxing stay-at-home measures, the virus is still spreading quickly across much of the region, which has now recorded more than 4 million cases and almost 200,000 deaths.
Half of them are in Brazil, where Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he believes “nearly everyone” will catch the virus eventually, after himself recovering from it.
The US, the hardest-hit country in the world, has tallied more than 4.6 million cases and more than 154,000 deaths.
The outlook was bleak in Asia as well, where India and the Philippines reported record increases in new daily infections.
“We are waging a losing battle against COVID-19, and we need to draw up a consolidated, definitive plan of action,” said an open letter signed by 80 Philippine medical associations.
Japan’s Okinawa declared a state of emergency after a record jump in cases on the islands — many linked to US military forces stationed there.
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