World must act fast to contain coronavirus: WHO's Tedros

[rooster59]

World must act fast to contain coronavirus: WHO's Tedros

By Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland

 

FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, attends a news conference on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

 

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The window of opportunity to contain wider international spread of the epidemic of the new coronavirus disease is closing, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday, after cases were reported in Iran and Lebanon.

 

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, asked whether the outbreak is at a "tipping point" after new cases and deaths in Iran from COVID-19, and cases in Lebanon and Canada, said that he still believed the virus spread could be stopped.

 

"Although the window of opportunity is narrowing to contain the outbreak, we still have a chance to contain it," he said.

"If we don't, if we squander the opportunity, then there will be a serious problem on our hands," he said.

 

China has reported more than 75,500 cases and 2,239 deaths, Tedros said. He voiced concern about an increase in infections in the northern province of Shandong - where more than 200 cases were announced earlier in prisons - and said it was seeking more information.

 

Twenty-six other countries have reported 1,151 cases and eight deaths.

 

"Although the total number of cases outside China remains relatively small, we are concerned about the number of cases with no clear epidemiological link, such as travel history to China or contact with a confirmed case," he said.

 

He said it was "very concerning" that Iran had reported 18 cases and four deaths in just the past two days, adding that the WHO was supplying testing kits to Tehran.

 

Tedros, asked whether sanctions imposed on Iran for its nuclear program might hamper delivery of medical aid, said:

"Emergency situations are excluded."

 

Lebanon confirmed its first coronavirus case on Friday and said it was monitoring two other potential cases after a 45-year-old woman arriving from the holy city of Qom in Iran on Thursday tested positive, Health Minister Hamad Hassan said.

 

Dr. Sylvie Briand, director of WHO global infectious hazard preparedness, referring to Iran, said: "The concern is more about the fact that we seen an increase in cases, a very rapid increase in a matter of a few days...What is the extent of this outbreak and the transmission in Iran?

 

"Also because we have seen other cases picked up in Lebanon and Canada, so we are just wondering also about the potential of more exported cases in the coming days."

 

There are different patterns of transmission in different places, Briand said, adding: "We have lots of diversity, different outbreaks showing different phases."

 

Tedros said that a WHO-led team of international experts and their Chinese counterparts would visit Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, on Saturday. The full team, which arrived in China last weekend, includes experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

 

(Reporting by Kate Kelland in London and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, editing by Nick Macfie and Cynthia Osterman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-22

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[URMySunshine]

That is close as they want to say that this is rapidly becoming a global pandemic 

[Dumbastheycome]

Without any desire to go into the realms of conspiracy theories it strikes me as remarkably strange that now random infections are occurring as in "There are different patterns of transmission in different places, Briand said, adding: "We have lots of diversity, different outbreaks showing different phases." ".

[smedly]

How did it get to Iran ?

 

Do Iranians holiday in China ?

[muratremix]

19 minutes ago, smedly said:

How did it get to Iran ?

 

Do Iranians holiday in China ?

Smuggling and trade with China!

Iran is unable to do International trade due to Trump and they can only trade with Putin and China

[Matzzon]

Yes, and Thailand is helping by letting the chinese travellers have a place to go. Good job, Thailand!

[holy cow cm]

China said it has peaked in their country, but who can believe this as anythi9ng but fictional. It has just not had a chance to decimate other areas as of yet, and their numbers are seemingly thought to be suppressed. Cats out of the bag in many ways.

[Assurancetourix]

4 hours ago, URMySunshine said:

That is close as they want to say that this is rapidly becoming a global pandemic 

Except in Thailand where everything is under control at 100% ...

I don't say that , it's khun Prayuth who said 

[JHolmesJr]

Noteworthy to see how fast this thing exploded in S Korea.

Nothing for weeks and suddenly 350-ish.

 

Iran....with its poor healthcare system another hotspot.

 

China's prison.

 

Time to rethink globalism

[FarFlungFalang]

The USA is now equal with Thailand on 35 confirmed cases!

[DrTuner]

But but I thought China was handling it so well, eh Tedros?

[Isaan sailor]

Since it’s all under control in Thailand, why don’t other countries open their borders to Chinese tourists?

[FarFlungFalang]

18 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

Since it’s all under control in Thailand, why don’t other countries open their borders to Chinese tourists?

Because they don't understand Thailand!

[puipuitom]

7 hours ago, smedly said:

How did it get to Iran ?

 

Do Iranians holiday in China ?

search and read from Internet; there are quite some Chinese workers to help the Iranians with nuclear and Revolutional Guard installations.

It also might have lifted with Shia pelgrims to Qom from other nations, where scrutiny on health is by far not so thorough as in China.

[puipuitom]

3 hours ago, Assurancetourix said:

Except in Thailand where everything is under control at 100% ...

I don't say that , it's khun Prayuth who said 

Not the first time, see the bird flue a 20 years ago in Thailand. Profits of ventures with capital in from the ruling elite of Thailand prevail above all..

[WaveHunter]

Dr. Ghebreyesus is doing a horrible job of running the World Health Organization IMO.  In the case of this outbreak he is running the organization more as a political and economic advocate for the Chinese government then as an organization that is focused squarely on the safety and health of the global community.

 

He said, "The window of opportunity is narrowing to contain the outbreak", which most people will agree is very true, yet as late as January 23, after the outbreak was well out of control, he still declined to declare China's virus outbreak as a global health emergency, and when he finally did, he said

"The WHO doesn’t recommend and actually opposes any restrictions for travel and trade or other measures against China.  If anyone is thinking about taking measures, it’s going to be wrong.”

He stressed that such restrictions often needlessly damage economies (meaning China's economy.

 

This is just one example of him running the WHO as a political organization, not a health organization. The mission of the WHO should solely be to inform the public, and protect the public health of the global community PERIOD.

 

I suggest anyone who's not aware of how troubled the World Health Organization has become under his leadership, listen to an interview with political commentator and China analyst, Gordon Chang on his views of the WHO in this crisis.  His analysis is very insightful. 

 

The entire interview is fascinating and focused more on  how China is handling the outbreak and the implications of a global pandemic, but his discussion of Ghebreyesus and the WHO starts at 12:25 in the video:

 

 

Furthermore, over 350,000 people have signed a petition calling for the resignation of Dr. Ghebreyesus for his poor handling of this outbreak.

 

http://theindependent.sg/more-than-350000-sign-petition-calling-for-resignation-of-who-chief/

 

Everybody's free to think what they want about how the WHO, and specifically how Dr. Ghebreyesus is handling this crisis.  All I am saying is you should look at the actions of Dr. Ghebreyesus, rather than just his rhetoric.  The two things paint a very different picture from one another.

Edited February 22, 2020 by WaveHunter

[digger70]

3 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Because they don't understand Thailand!

You mean not as stupid ?

[URMySunshine]

Coronavirus Cases in the United States Reach 34, and More Are Expected
The contagion “represents a tremendous public health threat,” said one federal health official.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/health/coronavirus-cases-usa.html

[URMySunshine]

Dean R Koontz wrote the story in 1981.  The virus was called Wuhan-400.  He named the exact city in which it starts. Hopefully the Simpsons link will be found pretty soon. 

 

https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/-novel-predicted-wuhan-virus-40-years-before-coronavirus-outbreak-internet-is-stumped-1647261-2020-02-17?fbclid=IwAR2ndvNUZEpsSggeJDzwmz9F9sCVXQWOwucHWOzTBYQ3KYXJgVx-wKt8j_0

 

Edited February 22, 2020 by URMySunshine

[rabas]

Years ago it was the WHO who cautioned that a mysterious "disease X" could spark an international contagion. nCoV2019, stealth and able to easily morph from mild to deadly, is emerging as a contender. Its recent progress in South Korea, Iran, and now Italy make it even more so. 

 

"Whether it will be contained or not, this outbreak is rapidly becoming the first true pandemic challenge that fits the disease X category," Dr Marion Koopmans, head of viroscience at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, and a member of the WHO's emergency committee, wrote on Wednesday (Feb 19) in the journal Cell.   Straights Times

 

From history:

 

I had a little bird,

and its name was Enza,

I opened the window,

And in-flu-enza.

Children's jump rope rhyme heard nationwide during the height of the 1918 pandemic.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/

Edited February 22, 2020 by rabas

[WaveHunter]

32 minutes ago, URMySunshine said:

Dean R Koontz wrote the story in 1981.  The virus was called Wuhan-400.  He named the exact city in which it starts. Hopefully the Simpsons link will be found pretty soon. 

 

https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/-novel-predicted-wuhan-virus-40-years-before-coronavirus-outbreak-internet-is-stumped-1647261-2020-02-17?fbclid=IwAR2ndvNUZEpsSggeJDzwmz9F9sCVXQWOwucHWOzTBYQ3KYXJgVx-wKt8j_0

 

Tell me there will not be some blockbuster movies coming out of this current outbreak in the next year or so.  I'm sure scripts are already flying all around Hollywood right now.

[WaveHunter]

18 minutes ago, rabas said:

Years ago it was the WHO who cautioned that a mysterious "disease X" could spark an international contagion. nCoV2019, stealth and able to easily morph from mild to deadly, is emerging as a contender. It's recent progress in South Korea, Iran, and now Italy make it even more so. 

 

"Whether it will be contained or not, this outbreak is rapidly becoming the first true pandemic challenge that fits the disease X category," Dr Marion Koopmans, head of viroscience at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, and a member of the WHO's emergency committee, wrote on Wednesday (Feb 19) in the journal Cell.   Straights Times

 

From history:

 

I had a little bird,

and its name was Enza,

I opened the window,

And in-flu-enza.

Children's jump rope rhyme heard nationwide during the height of the 1918 pandemic.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/

The WHO should have / could have played such a pivotal role in containing this current outbreak far more effectively had there been committed and decisive public health leadership instead of political chicanery. 

 

Instead they played political games, and acted foolishly with things like wasting time with detailed explanations of the need to be "politically correct" in naming the virus, instead of informing the public of the seriousness of the outbreak.

 

It just kills me that Dr. Ghebreyesus let the very "window of opportunity" he spoke of, pass by back in January by not taking strong and decisive action in recommending for immediate travel restrictions, instead of arguing against them.

 

How different the present situation would be, nobody can know, but I think it's safe to say that the international spread would be far less of a concern then it currently is right now.

Edited February 22, 2020 by WaveHunter

[stevenl]

7 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

Noteworthy to see how fast this thing exploded in S Korea.

Nothing for weeks and suddenly 350-ish.

 

Iran....with its poor healthcare system another hotspot.

 

China's prison.

 

Time to rethink globalism

Most of these in a sekt which recently opened a church in Wuhan.

[URMySunshine]

20 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Tell me there will not be some blockbuster movies coming out of this current outbreak in the next year or so.  I'm sure scripts are already flying all around Hollywood right now.

Undoubtedly this will be the biggest story of 2020 if not all our lives sadly.

 

The 2011 movie Contagion is brilliant in every respect if somewhat chilling given current circumstances. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contagion_(2011_film)

 

 

 

 

[3NUMBAS]

Coronavirus: asymptomatic Wuhan woman shows why outbreak 'will be hard to stop'

 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-asymptomatic-wuhan-woman-shows-102000328.html

[NCC1701A]

I am thinking Pierce Brosnan will play me in the movie.

[URMySunshine]

3 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

Coronavirus: asymptomatic Wuhan woman shows why outbreak 'will be hard to stop'

 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-asymptomatic-wuhan-woman-shows-102000328.html

It's as if this virus was bio-engineered to be as evil as possible. Not that viruses are evil they just are the most simple and primitive form of life as we know it. Simple genetic instructions to take over an advanced nucleus and replicate enlessy with no regard for the host  that remind us of where we come from,  a soup of cooling chemicals.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis

[URMySunshine]

2 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

I am thinking Pierce Brosnan will play me in the movie.

So we have the actor what's the role ? Gwyneth Paltrow dies in the first five minutes of Contagion. 

[NCC1701A]

4 minutes ago, URMySunshine said:

So we have the actor what's the role ? Gwyneth Paltrow dies in the first five minutes of Contagion. 

Pierce plays me recreating my heroic actions saving dozens of bar girls here in Hua Hin by setting a quarantine facility at my house for them to live in.

   

[samuttodd]

18 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

I am thinking Pierce Brosnan will play me in the movie.

Danny Devito you mean.