WHO warns of 'immediate second peak' of COVID-19 as countries start lifting restrictions

As some countries have started lifting lockdown restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus spread, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on May 25 that there can be an “immediate second peak” of the disease if the measures are withdrawn ‘too soon’.

WHO emergencies director Dr. Mike Ryan has noted that even though cases of COVID-19 are decreasing in some parts of the world, they have surged in Central and South America, South Asia, and Africa. While the world is already in the middle of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan said that the governments shall remain “cognizant” that the fatal disease can spike “any time”. 

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Since the global cases of COVID-19 infections have surpassed 5.4 million according to Johns Hopkins University, in an online press conference, WHO's emergencies director alerted the countries where coronavirus outbreak has subsided by informing the pandemic occurs in waves. He even urged Europe and North America, where most of the restrictions have been eased and life is slowly returning to normal, to continue placing public health measures so that the downward trajectory of coronavirus infections is maintained and immediate second wave’ is avoided.

"When we speak about a second wave classically what we often mean is there will be a first wave of the disease by itself, and then it recurs months later. And that may be a reality for many countries in a number of months' time," Ryan said.

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The WHO official also said, "But we need also to be cognizant of the fact that the disease can jump up at any time. We cannot make assumptions that just because the disease is on the way down now it is going to keep going down and we get a number of months to get ready for a second wave. We may get a second peak in this wave."

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'South America is new epicentre of COVID-19'

WHO official Mike Ryan had said earlier that South America has become an “epicentre” of the COVID-19 pandemic as Brazil surpassed Russia's coronavirus infection and became a second-most affected country in the world. While the global death toll of COVID-19 has suppressed 344,900, there have been significant spikes in the COVID-19 cases in Central as well as South America. 

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Image Source: AP