WHO's Tedros Says Major Concerns Remain Despite Stable COVID-19 Death Toll Growth

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2020) The World Health Organization (WHO) remains highly concerned about the global epidemiological situation despite the stable growth in the COVID-19 death toll, as 230,000 new positive tests for the disease were registered over the previous day, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.

"Yesterday, 230,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported to WHO. Almost 80 percent of those cases were reported from just 10 countries, and 50 percent come from just two countries. Although the number of daily deaths remains relatively stable, there is a lot to be concerned about. All countries are at risk of the virus, as you know, but not all countries have been affected in the same way," the director-general said at a press briefing.

According to the WHO's daily situation report, the increase to the global COVID-19 death toll on Sunday was 5,285, a decrease of one compared to Saturday's rise.

Despite a surge in new cases, particularly in countries such as the United States and Brazil, a corresponding spike in new deaths has yet to be observed, according to the WHO's figures.

On Sunday, US Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir told the ABC news broadcaster that officials in Washington are expecting to see a surge in deaths over the next two to three weeks following several days that saw record numbers of new coronavirus disease cases in the United States.

The United States registered a single-day record of 66,627 positive tests on Saturday, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.