Olympics sees 40-plus Covid cases as global figures rise, says WHO

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British swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive a day after winning silver in the 100m breaststroke when he had not felt well, his team said. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

More than 40 athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics have tested positive for Covid-19 highlighting a new global rise in cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday (August 6, 2024).

The WHO said the virus behind the Covid-19 pandemic was still circulating and countries need to sharpen up their response systems. Several high profile athletes have suffered from Covid-19 at the Paris Games.

British swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive a day after winning silver in the 100m breaststroke when he had not felt well, his team said.

Australian medal hope Lani Pallister pulled out of the womenโ€™s 1500m freestyle after falling ill.

Data from 84 countries shows that the percentage of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 โ€” the virus that causes Covid-19 disease โ€” โ€œhas been rising for several weeksโ€, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHOโ€™s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director.

Furthermore, wastewater surveillance โ€” which tends to give a two-to-three-week advance indication on case numbers โ€” suggests that circulation of SARS-CoV-2 is โ€œtwo to 20 times higher than what is currently being reportedโ€, she told a media briefing.

โ€œThis is significant because the virus continues to evolve and change, which puts us all at risk of a potentially more severe virus that could evade our detection and/or our medical interventions, including vaccination.โ€ Ms. Van Kerkhove said the high circulation was not typical for respiratory viruses that tend to increase in circulation in the colder months.

However, โ€œin recent months, regardless of season, many countries have experienced surges of Covid-19, including at the Olympics, currently, where at least 40 athletes have tested positive,โ€ she added.

โ€œItโ€™s not surprising to see athletes being infected, because as I said before, the virus is circulating quite rampantly in other countries.โ€



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