WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Photo: AP)

At a news briefing on COVID-19 in Geneva, Mr. Ghebreyesus said transmission is being driven by “confusion, complacency, and inconsistency in public health measures”.  

“In January and February, the world saw 6 consecutive weeks of declining cases. We have now seen 7 consecutive weeks of increasing cases and 4 weeks of increasing deaths," he said.

"Several countries in Asia and the Middle East have seen light increases in cases. This is despite the fact that more than 780 million doses of vaccines have now been administered globally," said the WHO chief.

Last week, the WHO announced another 4.4 million COVID-19 infections, 10 times the weekly average one year ago.