The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that COVID-19 remains a “threat”, four years after the outbreak of the disease, which has killed millions of people and severely affected the global economy but was no longer seen as a priority, AFP reported . .

“This virus, SARS-CoV-2, is currently circulating in all countries and still poses a threat,” warned Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO researcher in charge of fighting the pandemic, according to Agerpres.

“We must remain vigilant because the virus circulates, evolves and changes,” she insisted during an exchange of views with the public on social networks.

Maria Van Kerkhove was one of the figures in the battle waged by WHO against this disease. Currently, she is the acting director responsible for the preparation of preventive measures against epidemics and pandemics.

Currently, there are three variants of the COVID-19 virus (XBB.1.5, XXB.1.16 and EG.5) of so-called “interest” that are under increased surveillance. The fourth (BA.2.86) is to join them, even if he does not show an increased severity of the disease.

“We found a slow and regular increase in its detection in the world,” Van Kerchow explained.

In response to the COVID pandemic, on January 30, 2020, WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of threat, which was finally raised on May 5, 2023.

Beyond the acute and immediate symptoms, WHO is concerned about the long-term effects caused by the virus, known as long-term COVID.

“We have evidence that vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines reduces the risk” of long-term illness from COVID, Maria Van Kerkhove said.

She indicated that since the first injections in late 2020, 13.5 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide.

The representative of the WHO urged residents of the northern hemisphere, where winter will soon begin, to get vaccinated against COVID and influenza.