'Too Many Countries Are Headed In The Wrong Direction,' WHO Chief Says Amid COVID-19 Surge
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Monday that “too many countries are headed in the wrong direction” in battling the coronavirus, as infections surge in the United States and Brazil.
“Let me be blunt, too many countries are headed in the wrong direction,” Tedros told reporters. “In several countries across the world, we are now seeing dangerous increases in Covid-19 cases, and hospital wards filling up again. It would appear that many countries are losing gains made as proven measures to reduce risk are not implemented or followed.”
Tedros said there will be no return to “normal” for the “forseeable future” and said the public needs “strong government leadership and coordination of comprehensive strategies that are communicated clearly and consistently,”
The U.S. continues to have the most COVID-19 cases in the world, with infections rising by more than 15,000 in Florida on Sunday. Other sunbelt states such as Texas, Arizona and California are also seeing spikes in cases, with some governors rolling back the reopening of businesses.
As of 12:20 p.m. ET, there are 3,323,423 total COVID-19 cases in the U.S. according to Johns Hopkins University, with the domestic death toll standing at 135,272.
Brazil has the second-most cases, with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro testing positive for the virus. The virus has slammed the country’s Afro-Brazilian population and low-income communities, with Bolsonaro relentlessly promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine, an unproven treatment for the virus.
There are currently 1,864,681 COVID-19 cases in Brazil, with the country’s death toll at 72,100.
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