The world has recorded its highest daily jump of cases (136,000), according to the WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said: “More than six months into the pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal.”
“Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” he said.
Nearly 75% of the 136,000 deaths were reported from 10 countries, mostly in the Americas and South Asia.
The WHO emergencies chief, Dr Mike Ryan, said retrospective studies of how the outbreak has been addressed could wait, adding: “We need to focus now on what we are doing today to prevent second peaks.”
Ryan also said infections in central American countries including Guatemala were still on the rise, and that they were “complex” epidemics.
“I think this is a time of great concern,” he said, calling for strong government leadership and international support for the region.
Maria van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on the virus, said that a “comprehensive approach” was essential in South America.
“This is far from over,” van Kerkhove said, adding that asymptomatic transmission of the virus “appears to be rare”
