Warnings about COVID-19 seem endless. Just as the world began to recover from the novel virus and ease precautionary measures, the World Health Organization issued shocking statements. A spokesperson for the organization announced on Friday that the COVID-19 pandemic is still far from over, pointing to an increase in cases in the latest weekly data. In response to a question during a press briefing in Geneva about when the pandemic would end, Margaret Harris stated, "It is far from over. We are definitely in the middle of the pandemic."
**New Variant**
It is noteworthy that on March 9, the organization announced that scientists had discovered a new variant of the coronavirus, informally named "Deltacron" because it is a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants. Cases of "Deltacron" have emerged in Europe, the United States, and South America. While the World Health Organization does not currently classify it as a "variant of concern," scientists and health experts remain uncertain about the critical factors of this new variant, especially regarding its transmissibility, vaccine resistance, or its potential to cause severe symptoms.
**Infection Figures**
It is reported that more than 466,733,118 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus worldwide, while the total number of deaths due to the virus has reached 6,089,484. Infections have been recorded in more than 210 countries and regions since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
