The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday downplayed the number of about 40 positive Covid-19 tests at the 2024 Paris Olympics, recalling a rise in cases worldwide.
“It is not surprising that athletes have become infected because the virus is circulating very quickly in several countries,” WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove told a news conference in Geneva, recalling: “Many countries have been affected by outbreaks of Covid-19 in recent months.”
Data collected by the WHO through a system implemented in 84 countries shows that the percentage of positive tests has increased, a fact that has led, as Maria Van Kerkhove confirmed, to “an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.”
After being postponed for a year to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were held behind closed doors and under a “bubble system”, as were the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
At the 2024 Paris Games, which end on Sunday, the most high-profile cases of SARS-CoV-2 include British swimmer Adam Peaty, who tested positive the day after winning silver in the 100m breaststroke, and the Australian water polo team.
Maria van Kerkhove assured that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and WHO had analysed “all approaches” and would ensure that the measures taken “were the right ones”.
Noting that the current situation is different from what was seen in the 2020-2022 period (with several restrictions), Van Kerkhove called on countries to strengthen surveillance and for populations to protect themselves, including through vaccination.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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