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 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.
Ryan said epidemics often come in waves, which means that outbreaks
could come back later this year in places where the first wave has
subsided. There was also a chance that infection rates could rise
again more quickly if measures to halt the first wave were lifted
too soon.
"When we speak about a second wave classically what we often mean is
there will be a first wave of the disease by itself, and then it
recurs months later. And that may be a reality for many countries in
a number of months' time," Ryan said.
"But we need also to be cognizant of the fact that the disease can
jump up at any time. 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 get a number of months to get ready for a second wave. We
may get a second peak in this wave."
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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.
(Reporting by Emma Farge; Writing by Peter Graff; editing by John Stonestreet)
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