The World Health Organization has reported that Covid-19 is still killing about 1,700 people a week worldwide, and urged at-risk populations to continue to get vaccinated against the disease.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus warned of declining vaccine coverage, AFP reported.
Despite the continuing deaths, "data show that vaccine coverage has declined among health workers and people over 60, who are two of the most at-risk groups," the head of the UN health agency told a news conference.
"WHO recommends that people in the highest-risk groups receive the Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of the last dose," he added.
More than seven million deaths from Covid have been reported to WHO, although the true number of pandemic victims is believed to be much higher.
Covid-19 has also devastated economies and crippled global health systems.
Tedros declared the end of Covid-19 as an international public health emergency in May 2023, more than three years after the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019.
WHO has called on governments to maintain surveillance and sequencing of the virus and ensure access to affordable and reliable tests, treatments and vaccines. | BGNES
