Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Over 100,000 People Will Die Of COVID-19 Says WHO

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stated that more than 100,000 persons will die of the novel coronavirus by the end of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

After being delayed for a year due to the pandemic, the sporting event kicked off on Wednesday and while many see it as a welcome distraction, WHO chief Ghebreyesus is being quite vocal about the effect it will have.

According to a CNN report, Ghebreyesus is urging citizens of the world not to forget our humanity, saying: "By the time the Olympic flame is extinguished on the eighth of August, more than 100,000 more people will perish."

"The pandemic is a test, and the world is failing", he stated, adding that those who are of the opinion that the pandemic are living in a "fool's paradise".

Ghebreyesus' remarks come on the heels of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases globally, including in Tokyo, Japan where reports revealed that the region had the highest daily increase of new infections since mid-January.

The formal opening ceremony of the Olympics will take place on Friday, July 23, 2021, and it remains anyone's guess whether or not public health measures will be put in place for the safety of attendees.

About 11,000 athletes from 200 nations are set to arrive for the event and the number of coronavirus cases linked to the games now stands at 79, as revealed by the organizers.