On 30 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) held a regular briefing on COVID-19 at its Geneva headquarters, proposing strategic changes to prepare for an early end to the emergency phase of the pandemic. On 11 March 2020, WHO officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the same day, citing research results, the most likely scenario is that the virus continues to evolve, but the severity of the disease gradually decreases as people’s immunity is strengthened by vaccination or infection with the virus. But there could be periodic spikes in cases and deaths if people’s immunity weakens, in which case vulnerable populations need regular booster shots. Infection peaks in the colder months.
Dr Tedros said vaccinating 70 percent of the population in all countries was essential to contain the outbreak, and priority should be given to health workers, the elderly, and other high-risk groups. Some high-income countries are now giving their populations the fourth dose of vaccine, but a third of the world’s population has yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
According to the WHO official website, as of March 30, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the world reached nearly 500 million, with over 6.1 million deaths. At the same time, more than 11 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide. But about 36 percent of the world’s population has yet to receive the first dose.
According to statistics released by Reuters on the same day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Asia exceeded 100 million, accounting for 21% of the global total, with 1 million new cases being confirmed every two days. South Korea, China, and Vietnam are experiencing new surges. The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Asian countries surpassed one million in early March, the report said.
In Japan, the number of newly confirmed infections in the latest week increased 1.04 times from the previous week, prompting experts to warn of a possible rebound. The number of newly confirmed cases is increasing among those in their 20s. On March 29, South Korean health authorities hinted at further easing social distancing measures. Sohn Young-rae, head of the social strategy team at the Central Emergency Response Headquarters, said there is no need to further strengthen quarantine response given the low fatality rate of Omicron. Starting From March 25, patients aged 60 or older and those diagnosed with low immune systems will no longer be subject to intensive treatment. The move is seen as a sign that the government has finally given up on managing high-risk groups at a time when the number of confirmed cases has skyrocketed.
Separately, a week ago, WHO data showed that a third of European countries, including Germany, France, and the UK, had seen a surge in local cases after “brutally” easing coronavirus restrictions. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in 18 of 53 countries in the European region.