The World Health Organization (WHO) affirmed Monday that the trajectory of the coronavirus pandemic is now “growing exponentially,” especially after more than 4.4 million new Covid-19 cases had been reported over the last week.

According to Maria Van Kerkhove, the agency’s technical lead for Covid-19, “we’re in a critical point of the pandemic,” especially as some countries moderate covid-19 restrictions although new cases per week are more than eight times higher than a year ago.

“This is not the situation we want to be in 16 months into a pandemic where we have proven control measures. It is the time right now where everyone has to take stock and have a reality check of what we need to be doing,” she further added during a press briefing. “Vaccines and vaccinations are coming online, but they aren’t here yet in every part of the world.”

Covid-19 cases escalated by 9% worldwide last week and deaths rose by 5%, she added, demanding governments to support their citizens in implementing pandemic safety measures.

WHO officials warned last month of a continuous rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths, thus, urging people to stick with mask mandates and respect social distancing rules as the world witnesses a critical phase of the pandemic.

According to Dr. Mike Ryan, the head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, the virus is “stronger, it’s faster” with the emergence of new variants that spread more easily and are more deadly than the original wild strain of the virus. “We’re all struggling” with and sick of restrictive lockdowns, he said.

The US recorded B.1.1.7 cases. The highly contagious coronavirus variant is now the most common strain circulating, expressed Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week.

Hospitals are also witnessing a rise in young people being admitted, she further added.

Walensky pointed out that the US needs to speed up its vaccination efforts, which reached in average about 3.1 million shots per day. “We must continue to vaccinate as many Americans as we can each day,” Walensky said, adding it will cause new cases and deaths to decline.

The WHO urged the public and world leaders to stick with and continue to practice safety measures, including social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and avoiding crowded spaces.

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