The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday it was concerned that the novel coronavirus spread was being driven by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, many of whom were unaware they were infected, posing a danger to vulnerable groups.
WHO officials said this month the proportion of younger people among those infected had risen globally, putting at risk vulnerable sectors of the population worldwide, including the elderly and sick people in densely populated areas with weak health services.
"The epidemic is changing," WHO Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai, told a virtual briefing. "People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the spread. Many are unaware they are infected."
A surge in new cases has prompted some countries to re-impose curbs as companies race to find a vaccine for a virus that has battered economies, killed more than 774,000 people and infected nearly 22 million, according to a Reuters tally.
The Seoul cluster of a few hundred cases sprang up among a congregation of a Protestant church, but health official Kwon Jun-wook warned: "If the spread cannot be contained this week, daily life in the entire country may have to stop."
Russia's energy minister became the latest senior government official to contract the virus. Alexander Novak tested positive after arriving at a town near the Chinese border to open a petrochemical project.
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