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WHO says Covid still an international emergency

Photo: Hector Retamal /AFP

| By AFP | Nina Larson

The World Health Organization said Wednesday it is too early to lift the highest-level alert for the Covid crisis, with the pandemic remaining a global health emergency despite recent progress.

The WHO’s emergency committee on Covid-19 met last week and concluded that the pandemic still constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), a status it declared back in January 2020.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Wednesday that he agreed with the committee’s advice.

“The committee emphasised the need to strengthen surveillance and expand access to tests, treatments and vaccines for those most at risk,” he said, speaking from the UN health agency’s headquarters in Geneva.

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The WHO first declared the Covid-19 outbreak a PHEIC on January 30, 2020, when, outside of China, fewer than 100 cases and no deaths had been reported.

Though it is the internationally-agreed mechanism for triggering an international response to such outbreaks, it was only in March, when Tedros described the worsening situation as a pandemic, that many countries woke up to the danger.

Since the start of the Covid pandemic, more than 622 million confirmed Covid cases have been reported to WHO and more than 6.5 million deaths, although those numbers are believed to be significant underestimates.

According to WHO’s global dashboard of the situation, 263,000 new cases were reported in the previous 24 hours, while 856 new Covid deaths had been reported in the past week. 

Tedros acknowledged Wednesday that “the global situation has obviously improved since the pandemic began,” but he warned that “the virus continues to change and there remain many risks and uncertainties.”

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“The pandemic has surprised us before and very well could again,” he warned.

Surveillance has declined

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, agreed, warning that there were still “millions of cases being reported each week, but our surveillance has declined.”

This is making it difficult to get a full overview of the situation and especially of how the virus is mutating.

She stressed that “the more this virus circulates, the more opportunities it has to change.”

The Omicron variant accounts for basically all virus samples that are sequenced, with more than 300 sublineages of that variant recorded.

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“All of the subvariants of Omicron are showing increased transmissibility and properties of immune escape,” Van Kerkove said, adding that one new combination of two different subvariants was showing “significant immune evasion.”

“This is a concern for us because we need to ensure that the vaccines that are in use worldwide remain effective at preventing severe disease and death,” she said.

In light of the broad spread of new Omicron subvariants, Van Kerkhove stressed that “countries need to be in a position to conduct surveillance to deal with increases in cases and perhaps deal with increases in hospitalisations.”

“We have to remain vigilant.”

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  • A health worker takes a swab sample from a woman to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus in the Huangpu district of Shanghai on August 17, 2022. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)

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International

Two fans killed in gate collapse outside Chile’s Estadio Monumental

Two people lost their lives near the Estadio Monumental in Santiago, Chile, following a chaotic incident that occurred before the Copa Libertadores match between Colo Colo and Brazil’s Fortaleza on April 10. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the victims were crushed after a fence on the stadium perimeter collapsed, though authorities are investigating whether a police armored vehicle may have played a role.

It was a black Thursday at Chile’s Estadio Monumental. Two local fans died outside the stadium after a yet-unclarified incident caused a metal gate to fall on them, leading to fatal asphyxiation.

Local media reports indicate that a group of fans attempted to force their way into the stadium before kickoff. In response, local police allegedly deployed armored vehicles to block the breach.

Preliminary reports cited by local newspapers and news agencies like EFE identify the victims as two young individuals—one 18 years old and the other just 13.

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International

Dominican Republic mourns over 200 dead in Jet Set nightclub collapse

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, the Dominican Republic began mourning the more than 200 victims of the collapse of Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, although many families are still desperately waiting for the remains of their loved ones.

The roof of the Jet Set club collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, April 8, during a live performance by iconic merengue singer Rubby Pérez.

Rescue workers were completing the recovery of human remains from beneath the rubble of corrugated metal and steel beams, as search efforts ended with no further hope of finding survivors.

Around the morgue, the atmosphere was one of grief, anguish, and despair. A list of the deceased was posted on a canvas covering a nearby tent, where crowds gathered in distress. Health Minister Víctor Atallah stated that forensic teams are working at full capacity and urged patience. “No one will go unidentified, and no one will be left without answers,” he promised. “We will turn over every last stone if we have to.”

The tragic collapse also claimed the lives of several foreigners, including a significant number of Venezuelan nationals who were present at the club, according to local newspaper Listín Diario. The outlet reported the official death toll at 221, which included one Haitian, two French nationals, one Italian, and one Kenyan.

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Meanwhile, relatives, friends, and fans of Rubby Pérez released white balloons outside the National Theater shortly before the hearse departed with the remains of the beloved singer, known for hits like “Enamorado de ella” and “Buscando tus besos.” Draped over his coffin were both the Dominican and Venezuelan flags, the latter symbolizing the country where his fame took off.

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International

Venezuelan oil shipments resume after tariff-induced delays

Many buyers of Venezuelan oil have resumed loading tankers after a week of pauses and delays at the country’s ports, caused by tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on importers of crude from the OPEC member nation, according to shipping data and documents.

In March, the United States gave Chevron and other foreign partners and clients of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, until May 27 to gradually wind down operations and cease crude exports from the country. Days later, Washington imposed tariffs on buyers of Venezuelan oil and gas.

The measures triggered the suspension of some shipments at the country’s main oil port, Jose, and caused delays at smaller terminals. Many vessels that had left the Jose port and moved away from the coast amid the announcement of the measures have since returned to complete their loadings. In recent days, tankers have begun departing Venezuelan waters en route to destinations such as India and China, according to data and internal documents from PDVSA.

“There was a moment of panic when ships pulled away, but they later received instructions to finish loading,” said a source at PDVSA.

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