WHO Official says few restrictions accelerate COVID, asks India to 'protect health system'

With India facing an unprecedented COVID-19 second-wave, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official said that the explosive number of coronavirus cases is only partly driven by the variants, warning countries that loosening control measures may worsen the pandemic.

WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan explained that the coronavirus has a “huge kinetic energy” in certain parts of the world and leaders who think only vaccination will bring an end to the pandemic are wrong. 

“It is being driven both by human behaviour, by the emergence of variants, and many other factors. We're expecting the virus to slow down and we're pushing the accelerators,” stated Ryan. He warned some leaders to acknowledge “the brutal reality” of the situation.

As India is facing a major medical oxygen crisis with a continuous surge in cases, Ryan said, “Some of you are not in a good place. You need to protect your health system. You need to get your oxygen supply sorted out.”

'Proximity between people is the driver': WHO official  

Ryan also explained that  while new coronavirus variants may help spread COVID-19, the driver is “proximity between people.” He said that crowds and the mixing of people without protection or handwashing are still potentially dangerous, even with the start of vaccination programmes.

Even in its latest guidelines, the WHO highlighted that the virus spreads mainly between people “who are in close contact” with each other, typically within a range of 1 meter. Furthermore, it said that a person “can be infected when aerosols or droplets containing the virus are inhaled or come directly into contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth”. Asserting that aerosols could remain suspended in the air for longer durations, it said that the coronavirus was likely to spread in crowded and non-ventilated rooms.

The guideline read, "The virus can also spread in poorly ventilated and/or crowded indoor settings, where people tend to spend longer periods of time. This is because aerosols remain suspended in the air or travel farther than 1 metre (long-range). People may also become infected by touching surfaces that have been contaminated by the virus when touching their eyes, nose or mouth without cleaning their hands." 

(With AP Inputs)