Is the Global community prepared to face the next COVID surge?

With Anti-vaccine Trump in power and WHO weakened, worrying signs are there

- BY ASAD MIRZA

While there are reports of the dreaded Covid-19 making a reappearance in several countries, including India, the picture is not gloomy, as the world today, under the guidance of the latest WHO agreement on Covid-19 seems better equipped and coordinated to face the disease.

In a rather uncanny coincidence, with the return of Donald Trump as the new American president, Covid-19 cases in Asia have also seen a surge in recent weeks. Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand are reported to be the most affected. But so far, luckily India has remained largely unaffected by the resurge in Covid cases, with the government maintaining that the situation is under control.

So, after facing the years of pandemic, in which the world almost came to a standstill, the big question is whether Covid is back again. But in a rather timely development, member States of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 19, formally adopted by consensus the world's first Pandemic Agreement, driven by the goal of making the world safer from-and more equitable in response to any future pandemics.

As per the data from the ministry of health and family welfare, India reported 752 fresh infections logged over the past week, taking the country's total active caseload to more than 1,000. Kerala reported the highest number of cases at 335, followed by Maharashtra at 430 and Tamil Nadu at 34.

Other states showing an upward trend include Gujarat (83 cases), Karnataka (47), Uttar Pradesh (15), and West Bengal (12), according to data released by the Union Health Ministry on Monday, May 26, while Delhi recorded 99 new cases, with their active tallies now at 209 and 104, respectively.

The rise in cases comes amid the detection of two new sub-variants - NB.1.8.1 and LF.7 - which are currently under observation by global health authorities.