WHO: December 2023 saw an increase in cases of Covid-19

Nearly 50 countries around the world registered, in December 2023, an increase in cases and hospitalizations for Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported this Thursday.

The director general of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, announced at a press conference that in that month, admissions grew by 42 percent compared to November, and hospitalizations in intensive care units increased by 62 percent.

“Although Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, the virus is still circulating, mutating and killing,” he said.

He added that data from various sources “reflect an increase in the transmission of the disease in December, driven by mass gatherings during the holiday period, as well as by the JN.1 variant, which is now the most registered option worldwide.”

In this context, he called on governments to maintain vigilance, because, despite the fact that the number of deaths recorded in December is far from that reached during the peak of the pandemic, it is an unacceptable number of preventable deaths.

In addition, he urged them to continue to facilitate tests, treatments and vaccines, and urged citizens to “wear masks wherever necessary and ensure that indoor spaces are well ventilated.”