COVID-19 is "still very much with us," World Health Organization (WHO) officials warned this week, adding that cases are rising globally, with a high percentage of positive tests in Europe.
“Data from our sentinel-based surveillance system across 84 countries reports that the per cent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising over several weeks,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the COVID-19 technical lead at WHO.
"Overall, test positivity is above 10 per cent, but this fluctuates per region. In Europe, per cent positivity is above 20 per cent," she added.
At least 40 athletes at the Olympic Games have tested positive for COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses, the WHO added in a statement on Wednesday.
Many countries have also experienced surges of the virus regardless of the season and the circulation of the virus is likely much higher than reported.
Dr Kerkhove said that governments should "continue to invest and support our global understanding of the circulation and impact of this virus and to provide their populations with the tools to protect themselves".
She also urged individuals to protect themselves by getting vaccinated.
"Over the last two years, we have seen an alarming decline in vaccination coverage, especially among health workers and people over 60, two of the most at-risk groups," she said.
"This urgently needs to be turned around".
This article has been updated with a new statement from WHO on the number of athletes with respiratory viruses at the Olympics.
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