PARIS, Nov 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 60 million cases of the novel coronavirus have been detected worldwide, according to a tally from official sources.
In total 60,014,291 infections, including 1,415,258 million deaths, have been recorded around the world since the pandemic emerged in China late last year.
The tallies, using data collected from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization, probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.
Many countries test only symptomatic cases or the most serious ones.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said the coronavirus pandemic is no excuse for the people not getting enough exercise, reminding that exercise was vital to physical and mental health.
“WHO urges everyone to continue to stay active through the Covid-19 pandemic,” the agency’s head of health promotion Ruediger Krech told reporters.
“If we do not remain active, we run the risk of creating another pandemic of ill-health as a result of sedentary behaviour.”
There are still no clear statistics on what impact the pandemic has had on physical activity, but lockdowns, movement restrictions, gym closures and other measures have clearly forced many people to stay home and have disrupted regular activities and exercise routines.
This is worrying considering that even before the crisis, data shows the vast majority of young people and many adults were not active enough, with dire repercussions for global health.
The WHO estimates that pushing more people to get off the sofa or office chair to move about more could avert up to five million deaths each year.
“Being physically active is critical for health and well-being — it can help to add years to life, and life to years,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
Regular physical activity is key to preventing and helping to manage heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and cancer.
It has also been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, reduce cognitive decline, improve memory and boost overall brain health.
To reap such benefits, the UN health agency recommends that adults get at least two-and-a-half to five hours of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity per week, while children and adolescents should on average move at least an hour a day.
Globally, this inactivity is estimated to cost $54 billion in direct health care and another $14 billion in lost productivity each year, the WHO said.
But the good news is that doing any kind of physical activity can counter the negative effects of sitting still for too long.
The guidelines encourage women to maintain physical activity throughout pregnancy and post-delivery, and also stress the benefits of physical activity for people living with disabilities.
