OREANDA-NEWS. The world is going through a critical phase of the coronavirus pandemic at this stage, and the situation will be difficult for the next few months. This was stated by the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Russian Federation, Melita Vujnovic.

We are at a critical stage of a pandemic, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, she said. The next few months will be very difficult, especially in some countries. The incidence of new cases of COVID-19 continues to accelerate, while the number of new deaths has remained relatively stable recently.

Vujnovic recalled that as of October 23, more than 41 million cases of the disease and 1.1 million deaths were registered worldwide. The current situation can be viewed as a continuation of the first wave, she considers. In April–June, a decrease in new cases was observed, but this occurred not for a natural reason, but because of strict quarantine. The virus has not gone anywhere, it remains in the population, so when quarantine measures end, the disease returns, Vujnovic explained.