On Tuesday, the World Health Organization reported that weekly Covid deaths fell to their lowest levels since March 2020. However, it warned of a possible global drop in virus testing which could hamper its efforts to combat the pandemic.

World Record: 15,668 According to WHO data, there have been seven new deaths over the past seven days. The majority of these deaths were in Europe and Americas. According to the WHO’s most recent epidemiological report, the figure fell from 18,000 deaths that were reported in the week ending April 17.

The report stated that both new deaths and existing cases worldwide had declined in the last month.

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO Director-General), the decrease in deaths is good news, but it must be greeted with caution. He noted that Covid testing was being reduced by several countries which makes it difficult for the WHO to monitor and track its evolution, as well as the effects on transmission.

It won’t disappear because people stop searching for it. Tedros stated that the virus is still being spread, changing and killing people. While deaths have declined, the consequences of infection for those that survive are still unknown. In the case of a fatal virus, ignorance does not equal bliss.

The WHO urged all countries to have Covid surveillance systems. This includes testing and sequencing of genomes.

According to Dr. Bill Rodriguez (CEO of FIND, a global diagnostics organization), covid testing rates have dropped by 70-90 percent in four months.

Rodriguez was invited as a guest expert to the briefing. He stated that the decrease in testing has weakened the ability of the world to cure Covid using new therapies.

Tedros explains that Paxlovid by Pfizer is an oral antiviral medication. It requires prompt and precise testing before it can be administered. This is recommended to occur within five days after symptoms begin. The difficulty of administering the treatment is limited and may prevent you from getting hospitalized, Tedros said.

Maria Van Kerkhove is the technical leader for Covid-19 at WHO. She also stated that she has “little confidence” in reporting the numbers of cases around the globe.

Van Kerkhove explained that despite major changes to our testing strategy and a reduction in tests used all over the world, there is little we can be certain of what we actually see.

According to WHO data, the world has reported more than 4 million cases within seven days. This is a decrease from more than 5,000,000 new cases worldwide reported in the last week ending April 17th, according to the WHO’s most recent epidemiological report.

Van Kerkhove stated that the absence of testing hinders the ability of the international community to monitor the development of newer variants of concern. This includes sublineages for the micron variant.

More contagious, the omicron BA.2 variant is now the predominant strain in all of Asia. This has led to new Covid outbreaks in Europe as well as China. It is currently battling its most severe epidemic since 2020.

BA.2 also is rapidly expanding in America, accounting for 68.1% percent of cases that circulated during the week ending April 23rd. This data comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BA.2.12.1 also has a subvariant and is responsible for 28.7% in new cases.

Van Kerkhove stated that “the uncertainty we have regarding the next variant of it will continue to be a significant concern because we must plan for many types of scenarios.”

— CNBC’s Spencer Kimball contributed to this report

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