More than 40 athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics tested positive for Covid-19, indicating a new global rise in infections, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
According to the WHO, the virus that caused the Covid-19 epidemic is still spreading, and countries must strengthen their response mechanisms.
At the Paris Games, several high-profile athletes fell ill with Covid-19.
British swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive a day after winning silver in the 100m breaststroke because he was not feeling well, according to his team. Lani Pallister, Australia’s chances for a medal in the women’s 1500m freestyle, withdrew due to illness.
According to Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director, data from 84 countries suggest that the percentage of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 disease — “has been rising for several weeks”.
Furthermore, wastewater surveillance, which typically provides a two-to-three-week lead time on case counts, indicates that SARS-CoV-2 circulation is “two to 20 times higher than what is currently being reported,” she told a media conference.
“This 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.”
Van Kerkhove said the high circulation was not typical for respiratory viruses that tend to increase in circulation in the colder months.
However, “in 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,” she said.
“It’s not surprising to see athletes being infected, because as I said before, the virus is circulating quite rampantly in other countries.”