The WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said new case numbers rose last week in Europe, the Americas, southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.
The number of new coronavirus infections globally rose last week for the first time in seven weeks.
“This is disappointing, but not surprising,” Tedros said. “Some of it appears to be due to relaxing of public health measures, continued circulation of variants, and people letting down their guard.”
He added: “Vaccines will help to save lives, but if countries rely solely on vaccines, they’re making a mistake. Basic public health measures remain the foundation of the response.”
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said: “If the last week tells us anything, it’s that this virus will rebound if we let it – and we cannot let it.”
Tedros wants Covid-19 vaccination under way in every country within the first 100 days of 2021 – meaning there are 40 days left to go.
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