World 'playing with fire' as new Covid-19 variants emerge, warns WHO

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to these numbers.”  File photo: Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP

The world is “playing with fire” as new Covid-19 variants emerge, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned adding that there must now be fairer access to vaccines to help end the pandemic.

A further 8,370 people died in the last week from Covid-19 worldwide. The number of Covid patients in Irish hospitals climbed again yesterday reaching 459, although intensive care numbers remained stable, dropping one to 23.