"COVID-19 is 'still with us' and is spreading in all countries," WHO's Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

New waves of infection have been reported in North and South America, Europe and the western Pacific region.

"Data from our monitoring system in 84 countries show that the percentage of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been increasing for several weeks," Van Kerkhove said. At the same time, in Europe, this figure exceeds 20 percent, the WHO representative added.

Wastewater tests show that the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in reality can be from two to 20 times larger. Such high rates of infection in the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere are atypical for respiratory viruses, which are usually more active at low temperatures.

"In recent months, regardless of the time of year, there have been spikes in COVID-19 in many countries, including at the Olympic Games, where at least 40 athletes were infected," Van Kerkhove said.

As the virus continues to develop and spread, the risk of a more severe strain is increasing, which could potentially be undetectable by monitoring systems and not respond to medical intervention.

Despite the fact that the number of hospitalizations with COVID-19, including in intensive care units, remains much lower than at the peak of the pandemic, WHO calls on governments to step up their vaccination campaigns, ensuring that high-risk groups are immunized every 12 months.

"Everyone should take measures to reduce the risk of infection and the severe course of the disease, including making sure that you have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the last 12 months, especially if you are at risk," Van Kerkhove stressed.

According to WHO, the availability of vaccines has deteriorated significantly over the past 12-18 months, as the number of manufacturers has decreased. Van Kerkhove noted that despite the decrease in demand compared to 2021 and 2022, the need for vaccines against COVID-19 still exists.

She expressed her concern that with a low level of vaccination and high rates of infection circulation, a more severe variant may appear, which will become extremely dangerous for at-risk groups.

Nasal vaccines under development have the potential to reduce the risk of infection, severe disease and the development of new variants of the virus.