As cases of COVID-19 surge across the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency committee extended its Public Health Emergency of International Concern for the disease, according to a press release.
As of November 2, the number of global cases of COVID-19 reached 46,632,558 and the number of deaths reached 1,201,833, according to the COVID-19 dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, the number of cases reached 9,208,956 and the number of deaths reached 231003.
“After ensuing discussion, the Committee unanimously agreed that the pandemic still constitutes an extraordinary event, a public health risk to other States through international spread, and continues to require a coordinated international response,” the WHO reported in a press release in which it announced the decision to extend the Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Cases across the world surged over the weekend, leading to restrictions. For example, the New York Times reported that Great Britain announced new restrictions that amount to a national lockdown and follow measures taken by other European countries to control the spread of the disease.
The WHO committee will reconvene within three months.
