WHO sees different trends of COVID-19 in different regions

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that different trends of COVID-19 exist in different regions, and even within regions.

Speaking at a virtual press conference from Geneva, the WHO chief said that most of the epidemics in Western Europe appear to be stable or declining. But he warned of "worrying upward trends" in Africa, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe.

"Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics, and some that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see a resurgence in cases," he said.

Noting that globally almost 2.5 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 160,000 deaths have been reported to the WHO, Tedros said the pandemic will exist for a long time.

"Make no mistake: we have a long way to go," he said.