Over 40 Olympic athletes test positive for COVID-19 amid resurgence
At least 40 athletes at the Paris Olympics have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization, Kyodo reports.
The U.N. health agency warned Tuesday that COVID-19 infections are surging worldwide, including at the Olympics, and are unlikely to decline anytime soon.
The Olympics began July 26 and will run until Sunday.
"In recent months, regardless of the season, many countries have experienced surges of COVID-19," WHO infectious disease epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said. "COVID-19 is still very much with us and circulating in all countries."
About 155,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in about a month through July 21, according to the WHO.
The agency has urged governments to strengthen vaccination campaigns, making sure that the highest-risk groups get shots at least once every 12 months.
"Data from our sentinel-based surveillance system across 84 countries reports that the percent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) has been rising over several weeks," Van Kerkhove said.
"Overall, test positivity is above 10 percent, but this fluctuates per region. In Europe, percent positivity is above 20 percent."
