MOSCOW: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), warned on Friday that the global epidemiological situation would be critical in the coming months.

“We are at a critical juncture in this pandemic, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. The next few months are going to be very tough,” Tedros said. The WHO chief reiterated that the current situation was “not a drill,” adding that some countries were on a dangerous track.

“We urge leaders to take immediate action to prevent further unnecessary deaths, essential health services from collapsing and schools shutting again,” Tedros noted.

As of Friday, the death toll from COVID-19 in the world topped 1.134 million, with over 41.5 million cases of infection, according to the WHO dashboard. Many countries have reported entering the second wave of the pandemic. (ANI/Sputnik)