COVID-19 pandemic still on the rise globally, says WHO envoy

She noted that the second wave of the pandemic is not inevitable, "because the epidemic will develop depending on the people." "What’s important here is to manage new cases (even if their number drops), and to make sure people understand and accept the measures taken, that they are ready to adapt their behavior to this new reality," Vujnovic stated.

"The wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world is still on the rise, and there should not be room for complacency. All countries, including those that report a lower amount of cases and are relaxing restrictions, must continue detecting and checking all suspicious cases, isolate and treat confirmed cases, trace all contacts, encourage safe hygienic and respiratory rules, protect healthcare workers and expand healthcare capacity," she stressed.

"The way such measures are implemented will show whether there will be a second wave or any subsequent waves or not," Vujnovic concluded.

In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 6,714,300 people have been infected worldwide and more than 393,400 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 3,261,200 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

To date, a total of 449,834 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 212,680 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 5,528 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.