BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28
Trend:
A record increase in COVID-19 cases worldwide has been observed over the past week due to the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19.
According to the weekly bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 21 million COVID-19 cases have been revealed in the world, about 50,000 people died over the past week.
The number of COVID-19 cases increased by five percent while the number of deaths - by one percent compared to the previous week.
The number of COVID-19 cases has greatly increased in Russia even among children. Some 2,000 children were infected with COVID two weeks ago in Moscow while to date, more than 28,000 children are infected. That is, COVID-19 cases among children have increased by 14 times. More than 500,000 COVID-19 cases were revealed in France and the US during the day.
Azerbaijani infectious disease doctor Mardan Aliyev expressed his opinion on this topic.
“The omicron variant of COVID-19 continues spreading in many countries, especially in Europe,” Aliyev told Trend.
“The number of COVID-19 cases is also increasing in Azerbaijan,” Aliyev added. “It has recently exceeded 3,000 and will continue to grow due to the high contagiousness of the omicron variant.”
The doctor added that there is a high probability that the number of COVID-19 cases will reach the highest level by the end of February and will decline in the following months.
“People must avoid close contact with each other, use protective masks in indoor spaces and observe personal hygiene rules to protect against the virus,” the doctor said. “People who are at higher risk from COVID-19 must be careful. There is a high probability of infection among children, although without complications.”
Aliyev stressed that the most effective way to protect against a new and rapidly spreading omicron variant is vaccination against COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 antibody level decreases in 5-6 months after injecting the second dose of the vaccine,” the doctor said. “Therefore, it is necessary to inject the third (booster) dose of the vaccine.”
According to the decree №419 of the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers dated December 30, 2021, the "Certificate of vaccination against COVID-19" will not be considered valid from February 15, 2022 for those who injected the second dose of the vaccine and more than six months passed from that moment.