World Health Organization warns COVID-19 is 'running freely' and global deaths are unacceptably high

The head of the World Health Organisaton (WHO) has urged governments across the world to deploy measures like masking and improved ventilation amid unacceptably high numbers of deaths. While many governments of wealthier countries have all but abandoned coronavirus restrictions following successful vaccine rollouts, the organisation's director-general emphasised that the pandemic is 'nowhere near over'. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said sub-variants of Omicron continue to drive new waves of cases, hospitalisations and deaths around the world.