Countries urged to fight ‘controllable’ pandemic

With the COVID-19 outbreak now a pandemic, countries should not let up on efforts to fight its spread, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking during his regular update on the new coronavirus disease, one day after the new designation was announced.

“Let me be clear: describing this as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up. On the contrary, we have to double-down. This is a controllable pandemic. Countries that decide to give up on fundamental public health measures may end up with a larger problem, and a heavier burden on the health system that requires more severe measures to control,” he said.

COVID-19 first emerged in Wuhan, China last December. As of Thursday, there were nearly 125,000 cases in 118 countries and territories.

Tedros said WHO has been “working day and night” to support countries in their response.

The agency also is working with the World Economic Forum and the International Chambers of Commerce to engage the private sector, and also with the global football association, FIFA.

Additionally, more than $440 million has been pledged to WHO’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan.

“This is a new virus and a new situation. We’re all learning and we must all find new ways to prevent infections, save lives, and minimize the impact. All countries have lessons to share”, he said.

The UN Spokesperson told journalists in New York on Thursday that the Secretary-General António Guterres has taken the decision to cancel all United Nations system sponsored side events at Headquarters, from 16 March until the end of April.

Original source: UN News
Published on 12 March 2020