Experts often cite mistrust of the government as a key reason certain communities have suffered disproportionately during deadly outbreaks, including Ebola and Covid-19. Mistrust is a serious problem in a pandemic if it prevents people from obeying health recommendations, seeking medical care and accepting vaccines.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in its weekly pandemic update said yesterday that COVID-19 cases and deaths declined over the last month, but added that levels are rising in 31% of countries, especially in two world regions.
Cases rise in India and the Middle East
Also, the WHO on March 30 added one more variant under monitoring to its list, XBB.1.9.1.
China and India both rolled out vaccines given through the nasal tissues last fall, though it’s not clear how well they may be working. Studies on the effectiveness of these vaccines have yet to be published, leaving much of the world to wonder whether this approach to protection really works in people.
In its weekly update on the pandemic, the WHO said it added XBB.1.16 as the sixth variant under monitoring on Mar 22. It also said though global cases and deaths continue to decline, some countries—including India—are reporting recent spikes in cases.
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