The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that the significant decline in COVID-19 testing has left the world blind to the continuing evolution of the virus and its potential serious mutations. The UN-affiliated organization stated that reported infections and deaths have also seen a considerable drop. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters: "Last week, the WHO was informed of just over 15,000 deaths... the lowest weekly total since March 2020."
While Ghebreyesus welcomed this new trend in the virus's trajectory, he cautioned that the decline in figures may also be a result of the sharp decrease in testing for virus infections. He added, "This makes us even more blind to the patterns of the virus's transmission and evolution," remarking, "When it comes to a deadly virus, ignorance is not a blessing."
William Rodriguez, who leads the global diagnostic alliance "FIND," also expressed his frustration that many governments have simply stopped conducting tests for the virus in recent months. Speaking during a press conference hosted by the WHO, Rodriguez pointed out that testing rates have declined by 70 to 90 percent worldwide in the past four months amid a rise in cases of the Omicron variant.
Ironically, the reduction in testing comes at a time when the ability to obtain accurate results regarding infections has never been better. Rodriguez noted, "We now have unprecedented capabilities to know what is happening." He added, "However, since testing has become the first casualty of a global decision to abandon caution, we have become blind and oblivious to what is happening with this virus."
According to official figures, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the deaths of more than 6 million people since it first emerged in China in late 2019, but the true number is believed to be at least three times higher. While many countries are lifting preventive measures and trying to return to a semblance of normal life, the WHO stresses that the pandemic is not over.
Tedros stated, "This virus will not disappear just because countries stop looking for it," noting that it "is still spreading, still mutating, and still killing." He warned that "the emergence of a new dangerous variant remains a real threat," adding that "despite the decline in deaths, we still do not understand the long-term consequences of infection on survivors."
