MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. The world is going through a critical stage of the coronavirus pandemic, and the situation will be complicated in the next few months, the World Health Organization's representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic told TASS.

"Globally, we are at a critical stage of the pandemic, especially in the northern hemisphere. The next few months will be very difficult, and some countries are in a difficult situation," she stressed. "The COVID-19 incidence continues to grow, while the number of new deaths has remained relatively stable recently."

Vujnovic noted, that, as of October 23, more than 41 million COVID-19 cases and 1.1 million deaths had been registered worldwide. "The current situation can be viewed as the continuation of the first wave. In April-June, we observed a decrease in new cases, but not because of a natural cause, but because of a strict lockdown. However, the virus has not gone anywhere, it remains in the population, hence, once a strict lockdown ends, the virus returns," she said.

According to Vujnovic, the World Health Organization is calling on all countries "to take appropriate steps to prevent more deaths, protect the capacity of healthcare systems to provide medical care to both COVID-19 patients and people with other diseases and reduce school closures where it is possible." "Effective vaccines, diagnostic and treatment facilities will be vital for ending the pandemic and accelerating global recovery. However, these life-saving tools will only be truly effective if they are available to those who are most vulnerable on an equal basis and in all countries simultaneously," she noted.