The public well being threat from COVID-19 stays excessive, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday. The virus remains to be circulating globally however comparatively few nations are following infections intently, which means the precise risk because of the coronavirus and its variants may very well be something from two to 19 occasions larger than what’s being reported to WHO. Tweet URL > UNGeneva The company’s COVID focus, Dr Maria Van Kerhove, instructed journalists in Geneva that information from simply 50 nations signifies there are nonetheless 10,000 deaths per 30 days because of the virus. “On the positive side, the numbers of deaths have reduced drastically since its peak a couple of years ago”, the senior official stated. Among the ten,000 deaths reported in December, greater than half had been reported from the United States with an extra 1,000 from Italy. She stated it was clear that different deaths had been merely not being recorded however that “doesn’t mean that they’re not happening.” Dr Van Kerkhove additionally famous with concern a steep rise in hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions and warned that these numbers are prone to have elevated over the vacation season. The UN well being company official stated that many nations proceed to undergo unnecessarily from COVID which will be prevented with ample testing and antivirals, together with acceptable scientific care, oxygen and vaccination. ## More than 336,000 in want of pressing assist within the Republic of Congo Widespread flooding because of unusually heavy rainfall within the Republic of Congo has left greater than 336,000 individuals in want of pressing humanitarian help, the World Health Organization stated on Friday. Floods have broken well being amenities and colleges and submerged massive areas of important farmland. Nine of the nation’s 12 departments have been affected, with these within the north of the nation in addition to departments bordering the Congo River among the many most severely impacted. Experts estimate that the present rainfall is twice the typical recorded within the 2022–2023 season. The floods have destroyed or broken 34 well being amenities, 120 colleges and greater than 64 000 homes within the affected areas. Humanitarian wants are projected to rise, additional worsening the plight of the affected inhabitants. “WHO is committed to supporting the government to ramp up emergency response to save lives and ensure access to critical basic services,” says Dr. Lucien Manga, WHO Representative within the Republic of Congo. “We are working with partner organizations to bolster relief response, support livelihoods and limit the threat of diseases outbreaks.” Working with companions, WHO is stepping up efforts to supply emergency well being providers to avert unfold of ailments; important medicines and life-saving medical provides; and guarantee crucial high quality well being providers by purposeful well being amenities and cell clinics.  © Unsplash/Eddy Billard People store at a market exterior Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. ## Sri Lanka: OHCHR involved over crackdown on drug abusers The UN human rights workplace (OHCHR) stated on Friday it was very involved over Sri Lanka’s adoption of a “heavily security-based response” as a way of tackling unlawful drug abuse. Spokesperson Liz Throssell stated that “a staggering” 29,000 individuals have reportedly been arrested on drug-related costs since 17 December, and a few are alleging that they’ve been ill-treated or tortured. Security forces have reportedly performed raids with out search warrants, detaining suspected drug sellers and customers, whereas 1000’s have been despatched to military-run rehabilitation centres. “During and after these operations, people are reported to have been subjected to a number of violations, including unauthorised searches, arbitrary arrests and detention, ill-treatment, torture, and strip searches in public”, stated Ms. Throssell, whereas some legal professionals appearing for detainees allege that they’ve confronted intimidation from cops. Although medicine had been a urgent downside for any society, “a heavy-handed law enforcement approach is not the solution”, she added. “Abuse of drugs and the factors that lead to it are first and foremost public health and social issues. People suspected of selling or trafficking drugs are entitled to humane treatment, with full respect for due process and transparent, fair trials.” She stated what was wanted had been acceptable help and programmes which sort out the foundation causes of dependancy and permit social reintegration. The High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is urging Sri Lanka to overview its ongoing “Yukthiya” operation, and to implement human rights based mostly approaches, stated Ms. Throssell, including that allegations of abuse of authority, torture and ill-treatment, or denial of due course of, “must be thoroughly and impartially investigated”.

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