At least 40 athletes competing in the Olympics have tested positive for Covid-19 but the situation is not surprising given the rise in cases worldwide, the agency said.OMS this Tuesday.
“It is not surprising to see athletes infected, because the virus is circulating quite rapidly in other countries,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s head of epidemic and pandemic preparedness. “In recent months, … many countries have experienced outbreaks of COVID-19, including at the Olympic Games, where at least 40 athletes tested positive,” she said, adding that the Olympic Committee, in collaboration with WHO, “has looked at all the different approaches that need to be put in place” at mass gatherings such as the Games and taken “the right measures.”
The virus “still very present”
She stressed that the virus is “still very present” in the world, circulating “in all countries”. Data collected by the WHO through the sentinel surveillance system in 84 countries show that the percentage of positive tests has increased in recent weeks.
This increase has “led to an increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths in several countries,” Van Kerkhove said. “Overall, the rate of positive tests is above 10%, but this figure varies from one region to another,” with, for example, a rate above 20% in Europe, she detailed.
But she noted that wastewater monitoring suggests that virus circulation is “two to 20 times higher than what is currently being reported.” “This is important because the virus continues to evolve, putting all of us at risk of more dangerous viruses emerging that may escape our attention,” she warned. She said such high COVID-19 circulation “is not typical” for this season because respiratory virus outbreaks tend to spike in cold weather.
Decrease in surveillance?
WHO continues to call on governments to improve surveillance of the virus and for populations to protect themselves, including through vaccination. But Van Kerkhove noted that the current situation remains different from 2020-2022 because the world now has treatments, testing tools and vaccines.
But the WHO has seen an alarming decline in vaccination coverage over the past two years, she said, particularly among health workers and people over 60. “There is an urgent need to address this situation,” Van Kerkhove insisted.
