WHO official warns COVID-19 pandemic "not yet over"

'The pandemic is not yet over,' a World Health Organization (WHO) official warned on Friday, saying the continued emergence of subvariants 'poses a risk of resurgence and overwhelming health systems.' Babatunde Olowokure, director of Health Security and Emergencies for WHO in the Western Pacific, said Singapore and New Zealand are experiencing surges of COVID-19 cases, while the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Vietnam have shown a sustained decline in cases, hospitalization, and deaths since August.