World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Saturday that the world is in a very 'dangerous period' of the Covid-19 pandemic compounded by more transmissible variants like Delta, which is continuing to evolve and mutate.
He said that nations with low vaccine coverage are once again seeing hospitals being overburdened.
Noting that the Delta variant has been detected in at least 98 countries and is spreading quickly in countries with low and high vaccination coverage, he said there are essentially two ways for countries to push back against new surges.
He said public health and social measures like strong surveillance, strategic testing, early case detection, isolation and clinical care remain critical.
The WHO chief said masking, physical distance, avoiding crowded places and keeping indoor areas well ventilated are the basis for the response.