WHO says 'we have the tools' to control the pandemic in coming months

GENEVA, Switzerland (NBC) – The World Health Organization says “we have the tools” to bring the global pandemic under control within months. That was the encouraging news from Monday’s WHO briefing.

The sobering news is that countries reported more new covid-19 cases last week than at any time since the pandemic began.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said that the disease is spreading at an “alarming rate” in people 25 to 59 years old worldwide, possibly due to much more contagious variants.

The health agency said the shift in the coronavirus caseload toward younger people also is likely “driven by social mixing.”

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also participated in the WHO briefing, urging everyone who is offered a COVID vaccine to take it.