Inside Story

What’s behind the rise in COVID-19 cases?

COVID-19 cases are surging again around the world amid Omicron variant mutations.

The Omicron variant dominates the recent surge in global COVID-19 infections.

Its two main mutations, known as BA.4 and BA.5, are harder to track and resistant to vaccines.

The next few months will see an increase in global travel, as millions take their summer holidays.

And that is likely to increase the spread of COVID-19.

Those in the pandemic-hit tourism industry were hoping to recover this season, as restrictions began to ease in many places.

But that could change.

The head of the World Health Organization says the coronavirus pandemic is not over.

What should we expect?

Presenter: Rob Matheson

Guests:

Azeddine Ibrahimi – Director of med-biotech and professor of medical biotechnology at Mohammed V University

Jeffrey Lazarus – Head of Health Systems Research Group at Barcelona Institute for Global Health

Ishwar Gilada – Infectious disease specialist and secretary-general of the Organized Medicine Academic Guild