The WHO (World Health Organization) warns that the drop in testing on covid-19 threatens to set off a new health crisis, leaving the planet “increasingly blind” to the pandemic.

In a statement on Tuesday, the agency stressed that the death toll from the virus had reached a 25-month low with 15,000 deaths. But the organization insists the pandemic is “not over” and urges governments to continue monitoring the virus.

“We’re getting less and less information about the number of cases and genetic sequencing,” warned WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus.

According to Bill Rodrigues, CEO of the diagnostic promotion alliance FIND, the drop in testing has ranged from 70% to 90% worldwide.

“This means we are increasingly blind to viruses, given the drop in testing. The virus doesn’t just go away by not looking at it,” Tedros warned.

Two years after the distribution of vaccines and mechanisms for treatment were established, he insisted the virus “remains deadly”. “Also, we don’t know the long-term effect,” he insisted.

The WHO warning comes at a time when Europe is signaling that it will also abandon the health emergency and gradually withdraw some key control measures.

For Mike Ryan, the agency’s chief of operations, the gesture is not “inconsistent” with the reality of the disease in the area. However, he insisted that “this is not the time to lose focus”.

Maria Van Kerhkove, WHO’s technical director, also raises the alarm about world record-breaking numbers. “We lack confidence,” she admitted. “The virus remains a global problem. It’s not time to come back,” she added.