WHO has warned the world that the Delta Variant of COVID-19 is likely to sweep the world again, causing a second wave of massive global outbreaks. The Delta variant was first identified in India and has proved devastating for the country causing 400,000 new confirmed cases in a single day during May 2021. The Delta variant has already spread to more than 100 countries worldwide.

It is worth noting that the current mutant strain of Delta seems to favor hot weather, making Southeast Asian countries the "new epicenter" of the current outbreak. Indonesia has overtaken India as the country with the worst outbreak in Asia.

Despite the fact that vaccination is now well underway in many countries, the number of new infections worldwide remains around 500,000 per day. In the UK and the US, the number of infections is increasing despite mass vaccination across the country.

Even developed countries with high vaccination rates and well-developed public health systems are still under pressure to return to normal, according to the WHO. Not to mention less developed countries with poor health infrastructures, where access to vaccines is limited and most of the population is still exposed to the risk of the COVID-19 virus are also battling the new strain.

WHO reiterates that the COVID-19 outbreak is not over and that the epidemic is more cunning than expected and therefore it remains a public health emergency of world concern. By not downgrading the COVID-19 outbreak status, WHO hopes that countries will continue to keep battling and unite to help each other in the fight against the pandemic. According to the WHO, mutation of the Covid-19, uneven global distribution of vaccines, and increased social mobility are the three main factors behind the increasing number of cases around the world. With the virus constantly adapting to new environments, it is feared that more danger is yet to come.

The Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization has also made recommendations on the prevention and control of the epidemic. Firstly, countries should continue to take preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus, minimize the global "vaccine gap" and accelerate the establishment of systems for vaccine certification and virus testing to facilitate the international movement of people. In addition, surveillance of COVID-19 mutations and global traceability efforts should continue to be strengthened. WHO also urged countries to invest more in the development of Oxygen Systems such as oxygen concentrators as they are key in saving lives.

There are approximately more than 190 million confirmed cases and 4.1 million deaths worldwide - a shocking figure. The WHO predicts that if we are lucky enough, the pandemic might be put under control by next year.

No one can predict the course of this pandemic, but as long as we are united, we believe that in the near future, humanity will overcome this crisis!