Just like what medical experts warned, there are rising cases of new COVID-19 infections as countries open their borders. The absence of any treatment or vaccine against the 2019 novel coronavirus should have been seriously taken into consideration before officials lifted travel restrictions. As such, there is a notable increase in transmission likely from asymptomatic individuals who are unaware of their condition. Even though international visitors are still barred, it is not enough to stop outbreaks from the local population.

After a little over three months of lockdown, some European countries have reportedly eased up control over the movement of people. Nevertheless, analysts believe that most will be hesitant to risk exposure until there has been a significant development in the fight against COVID-19. Meanwhile, even hard-hit nations in Latin America are surprisingly reopening their economy despite the ongoing health crisis. ABC News is even pointing out that local healthcare systems are already struggling with the influx of patients.

Even though China has reported previously that it has controlled transmissions successfully, it seems that a new wave of infections has made its way to its capital of Beijing. The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that in a day, there are more than 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 cases reported around the globe for the past two weeks. Thus, reminds countries that have successfully controlled their respective outbreaks that they "must stay alert to the possibility of resurgence."

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus likewise noted that in the early days of the pandemic, it took more than two months for the international community to reach 100,000 reported cases. Now, it is alarming to see it turn into a daily occurrence.

Many countries are lifting lockdowns
Many countries are further lifting painful lockdowns. Photo: AFP / Apu GOMES

On the other hand, U.S. vice president Mike Pence hopes that government leaders would also highlight improvements such as lower COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality rates. According to Pence, "there's a lot of really, really good news." Nevertheless, there are states that are seeing surging numbers of infections. Moreover, internet search data pulled from Google's servers show an increase in queries related to symptoms and testing centres. Overall, it is likely that cases will continue to spike until a vaccine or treatment becomes available.

COVID-19