WHO's emergencies chief Dr Michael Ryan said that COVID-19 cases are rising because the epidemic is "developing in a number of populous countries at the same time."
The record levels of new daily COVID-19 cases are due to the fact that the pandemic is peaking in a number of big countries at the same time and reflect a change in the virus' global activity, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
At a media briefing on June 22, WHO's emergencies chief Dr Michael Ryan said that "the numbers are increasing because the epidemic is developing in a number of populous countries at the same time."
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Some countries have attributed their increased caseload to more testing, including India and the US. But Ryan dismissed that explanation.
“We do not believe this is a testing phenomenon,” he said, noting that numerous countries have also noted marked increases in hospital admissions and deaths - neither of which cannot be explained by increased testing.
“There definitely is a shift in that the virus is now very well established,” Ryan said. “The epidemic is now peaking or moving towards a peak in a number of large countries.”
He added the situation was “definitely accelerating” in a number of countries, including the US and others in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
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