WHO, "The End of the COVID-19 Pandemic is in Sight" ... Domestic New Cases Also in the 70,000s

COVID-19 Deaths Worldwide from 5th to 11th Down 22% Compared to Previous Week
Lowest Since March 2020

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

As the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide continues to decline, expectations for the end of the pandemic are rising. In South Korea, the number of new cases nearly reached 100,000 per day immediately after the Chuseok holiday but has since decreased to the 70,000 range.

According to the COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 14th (local time), the number of COVID-19 related deaths worldwide from the 5th to the 11th of this month dropped by 22% compared to the previous week, recording 10,935 deaths. During the same period, new COVID-19 cases also decreased by 28% from the previous week, totaling 3,130,975 cases. ▷Related article

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (pictured) said at a press conference that day, "Last week, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 was the lowest since March 2020. We have never been in a better situation since the pandemic began," adding, "We have not yet reached the point to end the pandemic, but the end is in sight."

However, Director-General Tedros cautioned, "It is not yet time to let our guard down. If we stop our efforts here and miss this opportunity, a more uncertain situation will unfold," and added, "It is time to run harder, cross the line, and reap the rewards of our efforts."

When asked about the possibility of a COVID-19 resurgence, WHO Chief Scientist Maria Van Kerkhove responded, "Infections will continue, but it is not expected that the number of deaths will increase significantly as it did during previous pandemics," and said, "We have many tools to prevent severe illness, such as vaccines and antiviral drugs."

South Korea's health authorities also forecast that while the number of COVID-19 cases may temporarily increase after the Chuseok holiday, the overall trend of the epidemic will continue to decline since the peak of the resurgence has already passed. During the Chuseok holiday from the 9th to the 12th, new cases decreased from 69,403 to 42,707, then to 28,207, and 36,937, respectively. However, immediately after the holiday, the numbers rose to 57,309 on the 13th and 93,981 on the 14th, before dropping again to 71,471 on the 15th.