WHO warns of spike in COVID-19 cases in Ramadan

Published 03 Apr,2021 via Muscat Daily - The World Health Organization has expressed concern about the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It has further warned that with Ramadan around the corner, ‘there is a danger’ of ‘even more increases in cases and deaths’ in the region.

Addressing a virtual press briefing on April 1, Dr Ahmed al Mandhari, WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said, “It saddens me to report that we continue to see a worrying trend in the number cases across the Eastern Mediterranean Region.”

There are several factors that could be associated with this increase of new cases. “Some of this increase can be accounted for by the increased circulation of the variants of concern, which we are monitoring closely. But more importantly, and despite countries' efforts to enforce various public health and social measures, we see people not adhering to those measures, which include physical distancing, wearing a face mask, hand hygiene, cleaning of hands, respiratory etiquette, avoiding crowded spaces, and opening windows,” said Dr Mandhari.