The World Health Organisation, WHO, has issued warning to countries as a fresh outbreak of more than 100 cases of coronavirus have been officially recorded in Beijing, China’s capital city.
As countries ease restrictions and lift bans on their borders, the WHO warned countries to stay on alert for a possible resurgence of COVID-19 infections.
The UN health agency said the fresh outbreak is a cause of concern due to Beijing’s size and connectivity to other countries.
WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this during a virtual press conference on Monday.
“Even in countries that have demonstrated the ability to suppress transmission, they must stay alert to the possibility of resurgence.
“Last week, China reported a new cluster of cases in Beijing, after more than 50 days without a case in that city. More than 100 cases have now been confirmed.
“The origin and extent of the outbreak are being investigated,” he said.
Recall that the world has been fighting the coronavirus crisis since the virus emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, speaking at a news conference in Geneva, also expressed concern over increasing cases in Africa, Eastern Europe in the last few weeks.
“I understand that there are no deaths associated so far with the Beijing outbreak.
“Nearly 75 per cent of recent cases come from 10 countries, mostly in the Americas and South Asia.
“There are also increasing numbers of cases in Africa, eastern Europe, central Asia and the Middle East,” he added.
