World in early stages of COVID-19 third wave, WHO warns as Delta variant surges

The World Health Organisation warned that the world was entering 'early stages' of the COVID-19 third wave amid sharp rise in Delta variant COVID infections.

New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the world was entering 'early stages' of the COVID-19 third wave as cases of Delta variant surges.

"Unfortunately...we are now in the early stages of a third wave. The Delta variant is now in more than 111 countries and we expect it to soon be the dominant COVID-19 strain circulating worldwide if it isn`t already," a UN report quoted World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as saying.

Reiterating the need for a swift action plan to vaccinate as many as people as possible across the globe, Tedros urged that at least 10 per cent of the population of every country should be inoculated by September 2021, at least 40 per cent by the end of 2021, and at least 70 per cent by mid-2022.

"Many countries still have not received any vaccines, and most have not received enough. Emphasising that vaccines alone will not stop the pandemic, he called upon countries to persist with a "tailored and consistent approach," he said.

Last week marked the fourth consecutive week of rising novel coronavirus cases globally with increases recorded in all but one of WHO`s six regions, the death toll too has risen after nearly 10 weeks of steady decline.