World still in ‘first wave’ of pandemic – expert

A HEALTH expert has warned that the world is still in the midst of the “first wave” of the coronavirus pandemic.

World Health Organisation (WHO) executive director Dr Mike Ryan warned that the risks of reigniting coronavirus outbreaks are complicating efforts to fend off further misery for the many millions who have lost their jobs. Dr Ryan said: “Right now, we’re not in the second wave. We’re right in the middle of the first wave globally.

“We’re still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up.”

Dr Ryan pointed to South America, South Asia and other areas where the number of infections is still on the rise.

Mindful of the risks, Americans settled for small processions and online tributes instead of parades on Monday as the US observed Memorial Day in the shadow of the pandemic.

A US travel ban was due to take effect yesterday for foreigners coming from Brazil, where the virus is raging through communities with no signs of abating.

The ban, which was originally to take effect tomorrow, was brought forward. It does not apply to US citizens.

Underlining the challenge of containing outbreaks of a virus for which there is not yet a vaccine or proven treatment, India reported a record single-day jump in new cases for the seventh straight day.

The country reported 6,535 new infections yesterday, raising its total to 145,380, including 4,167 deaths.

Most of India’s cases are concentrated in the western states of

Maharashtra, home to the financial hub Mumbai, and Gujarat. The numbers have also climbed in some of India’s poorest states in the east as migrant workers stranded by lockdowns have returned to their native villages from India’s largest cities.

India has nonetheless been easing restrictions. Domestic flights resumed on Monday after a two-month hiatus, though at lower levels than previously.

PICTURES: GETTY/AP. HEALTH CONCERNS: Main, a Nepalese cleaner sweeps temple stairs during lockdown in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Above, from left, an employee wearing a uniform and a face mask disinfects an elevator of Berlin’s famous Hotel Adlon Kempinski, a day after it reopened for tourism; a Sikh warrior drinks sweet water distributed by volunteers during celebrations at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, yesterday; health workers demonstrate in front of La Timone hospital in Marseille, southern France, to call for a pay rise within the health sector.