Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, disclosed this during an online media conference.
He said although COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, the virus is still circulating, mutating, and killing.
He said the increased transmission during December was fueled by gatherings over the holiday period, and by the JN.1 variant, which is now the most-commonly reported variant globally.
“Almost 10,000 deaths from COVID-19 were reported to WHO in December, and there was a 42% increase in hospitalizations and a 62% increase in ICU admissions, compared with November,” he said.
“However, these trends are based on data from less than 50 countries, mostly in Europe and the Americas.
“It is certain that there are also increases in other countries that are not being reported. Just as governments and individuals take precautions against other diseases, we must all continue to take precautions against COVID-19.
