Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of millions of people.

"For many people, the lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic has had a profound effect on their mental health," Tedros said at a virtual press briefing from Geneva on Thursday.

The WHO chief said that people in long-term facilities such as care homes and psychiatric institutions are at an increased risk of infection.

He added that mental health professionals have themselves been infected with the virus, and some mental health facilities have been closed to be converted into treatment facilities for people with Covid-19.

He recalled that mental health was already "a neglected health issue" globally before the pandemic, with close to one billion people living with a mental disorder.

Yet relatively few people have access to quality mental health services.