The COVID-19 pandemic is re-surging in many countries in Europe, and America after authorities there relaxed social distancing rules. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the situation is very troubling and could get worse when the winter season sets in, because of the associated flu.
In the United States, new recorded cases have increased by at least 47 percent over the past 14 days.
The World Health Organisation says that eleven countries out of 54 on the European continent, have reported rapid new increases in cases over the past two weeks, representing a reversal of a declining trend in infections.
The WHO Europe Region Director Dr Hans Henri Klugge blamed the early easing of restrictions as the reason behind the new spike and failure by authorities to contain new outbreaks.
The 11 countries affected by the new surge, according to WHO are Armenia, Sweden, Moldova, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Kosovo.
Dr Kluge said countries such as Poland, Germany, Spain and Israel had responded quickly to dangerous outbreaks associated with schools, coal mines, and food production settings, and brought them under control through rapid interventions.
Despite warning about resurgences, he said the WHO anticipated that the situation would calm down further in the majority of countries over the summer.
“But we have indeed to prepare for the fall, when Covid-19 may meet seasonal influenza, pneumonia, other diseases as well, because ultimately the virus is still actively circulating in our communities and there is no effective treatment, no effective vaccine, yet,” Dr. Klugge told reports in a virtual news conference.
And in the United States, new recorded cases have increased by at least 47 percent over the past 14 days.
A number of states in the US have now suspended plans to re-open their economies.
The surge in new cases in some countries is likely to influence perceptions among leaders including Uganda to halt re-opening plans despite the huge economic toll resulting from three months of lock-down.
