Time Period Covered August 07, 2020 - August 07, 2020
Worldwide, there have been over 19.1 million reported cases and more than
714,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19. The United States and Brazil continue
to lead globally with the highest cumulative cases, contributing a combined
7.8 million. India, which currently ranks third in cumulative cases globally, has
now surpassed 2 million reported cases. In addition, cases have recently been
rising in several European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, and the
United Kingdom. Rising cases in Europe have led to adjustments to COVID-19
restrictive measures, including pauses on the relaxation of restrictions or the
renewal of restrictions that had previously been relaxed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Americas has
issued a warning against the use of chlorine products as treatment for COVID19. WHO recommends that people avoid consuming products containing
chlorine dioxide or related substances (sodium hypochlorite, bleach, etc.) and
that all marketing of such products for therapeutic purposes be reported to the
authorities.
The WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia has urged countries in the region
to maintain essential healthcare and accelerate the resumption of services
that have been disrupted, by the pandemic, as an integral part of the COVID19 response. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, repurposing of health workers,
cancellation of elective care, closure of outpatient services insufficient
personal protective equipment, and changes in treatment policy have
significantly impacted the delivery of essential services.