WHO says coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic, UK and Italy shore up defences

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WHO says coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic, UK and Italy shore up defences

By Emma Farge and William Schomberg

 

Empty shelves are seen at a supermarket in Watford, Britain, March 11, 2020. REUTERS/Paul Childs

 

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization described the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic for the first time on Wednesday, and Britain and Italy showed growing concern about the economic impact by announcing multi-billion-dollar war chests to fight the disease.

 

The United States also said it was considering new steps to battle the virus that emerged in China in December and has spread around the world, halting industry, grounding flights, closing schools and forcing events to be postponed.

 

"We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction," Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.

 

"We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic," he said, using the formal name of the coronavirus.

 

There are now more than 118,000 infections in 114 countries and 4,291 people have died of the virus, with the numbers expected to climb, Tedros said.

 

The number of cases outside China rose 13-fold in the past two weeks, and the number of countries affected tripled, with Iran and Italy the worst-hit countries in the Middle East and Europe. There have been 354 deaths in Iran and 827 in Italy.

 

"Italy and Iran are in the frontline and are suffering but other countries will be in that situation very soon," Tedros said.

 

Use of the word pandemic does not change the WHO's response, said Dr Mike Ryan, the head of the Geneva-based agency's emergencies programme.

He also said there was "a strong element of controllability" and "a real chance to blunt the curve... and reduce the number of cases".

 

Use of the word "pandemic" carries no legal significance. The WHO classified the outbreak as a "public health emergency of international concern" on Jan. 30, triggering an increase in the coordination of the global response.

 

"The use of this term however highlights the importance of countries throughout the world working cooperatively and openly with one another and coming together as a united front in our efforts to bring this situation under control," said Nathalie MacDermott, an expert at King’s College London.

 

Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Britain's Edinburgh University, added: "It is now clear that COVID-19 is going to be with us for a considerable length of time and the actions that we take must be actions that we can live with for a prolonged period."

 

WAR CHESTS

Britain launched a 30-billion-pound economic stimulus plan as new finance minister Rishi Sunak said the economy faced a "significant impact" from the spread of the virus, even if it was likely to be temporary.

 

"Up to a fifth of the working-age population could need to be off work at any one time. And business supply chains are being disrupted around the globe," Sunak said in an annual budget speech to parliament.

 

He announced measures to help companies facing a cash-flow crunch, and said the health system and other public services would receive an extra 5 billion pounds to help counter the spread of the coronavirus.

 

Italy is in already in lockdown and close to recession, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte earmarked $28.3 billion to ease the economic impact.

 

He said restrictions on movement might be tightened further after the northern region of Lombardy, home to Italy's financial capital Milan, asked for all shops to shut and public transport to close.

 

Steps against the virus in the United States may include tax relief that could channel hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy. New restrictions on travellers from Europe are also under consideration, potentially mirroring the ban on foreigners who visited China in the prior two weeks coming to the United States, which was later extended to Iran, sources familiar with discussions said.

 

"Bottom line, it's going to get worse," Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Congress.

 

GOING BACK TO WORK IN WUHAN

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said up to 70% of the population was likely to be infected as the virus spreads around the world in the absence of a cure.

 

A rebound in stocks ran out of steam on Wednesday despite the Bank of England move. Money markets are fully pricing in a further 10 basis-point cut by the European Central Bank when it meets on Thursday.

 

Oil prices fell further, the dollar weakened and global equities markets slid again as hopes of government stimulus to tackle the coronavirus faded.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> fell 5.25%, the S&P 500 <.SPX> was down 4.85%.

 

But not all the news was bad. Some key industries in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the epidemic and a hub of car manufacturing, were told they could resume work on Wednesday.

 

(Additional reporting by Kate Kelland, Paul Sandle and David Milliken in London; David Lawder in Washington; Thomas Escritt and Paul Carrel in Berlin; Giuseppe Fonte and Giulia Segreti in Rome; Ryan Woo in Beijing; Writing by Nick Macfie and Timothy Heritage; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Cynthia Osterman)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-12

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[Laughing Gravy]

Took them long enough for the bleeding obvious.

[saengd]

You do understand what pandemic means!

[Laughing Gravy]

I wonder if countries like Thailand and other who's health care systems are less rigorous and less financed, if there are many more cases that are not being reported.

 

As an example would a person in some poorer parts of Thailand and the world have the Coronavirus testing kit.

 

I find it worth thinking about the numbers in Thailand that have been confirmed and those in Italy. How the numbers are so different. You could easily think that the Chinese don't come to Thailand on holiday.????

Edited March 12, 2020 by Laughing Gravy

[Tug]

The wife and I are as prepared as possible let’s hope it isent to bad and all pull together.Now is the time for leadership let’s hope they are up to it!

Edited March 12, 2020 by Tug

[Laughing Gravy]

3 minutes ago, saengd said:

You do understand what pandemic means!

As I sit here in China, where I have been for the last 7 weeks, I can assure you of the meaning below

 

(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.

[saengd]

2 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

As I sit here in China, where I have been for the last 7 weeks, I can assure you of the meaning below

 

(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.

Not just a country but a large geographic are, aka the world, that's why it has not been declared a pandemic until now.

 

"occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population".

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemic

[Laughing Gravy]

Speaking with family and friends from the UK last night have put mi in stitches. The shops are being stripped. What is hilarious it is of items such as toilet roll.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51737030

 

 

[Laughing Gravy]

1 minute ago, saengd said:

Not just a country but a large geographic are, aka the world, that's why it has not been declared a pandemic until now.

 

"occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population".

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemic

If you don't think China is a wide geographic area then maybe have a look at the map. Anyway it would seem we disagree.

 

There are more political reasons why the WHO didn't call it a pandemic earlier, if you care to do some research.

[Cryingdick]

Mother Nature is culling the herd. I am beginning to think we should just behave as normal and live and let die.

[Tayaout]

9 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Speaking with family and friends from the UK last night have put mi in stitches. The shops are being stripped. What is hilarious it is of items such as toilet roll.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51737030

 

 

Each square of toilet paper can be used as a currency once the world economy collapse. 

[Tayaout]

15 minutes ago, saengd said:

Not just a country but a large geographic are, aka the world, that's why it has not been declared a pandemic until now.

 

"occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population".

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemic

If you check various dictionary it can be a single country or even an area within a country but the who definition is 2 or more countries in at least 2 WHO region that experience sustained local transmission. 

Edited March 12, 2020 by Tayaout

[saengd]

11 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

If you don't think China is a wide geographic area then maybe have a look at the map. Anyway it would seem we disagree.

 

There are more political reasons why the WHO didn't call it a pandemic earlier, if you care to do some research.

I knew I could count on you to come up with a conspiracy theory, thanks that you didn't disappoint.

[Laughing Gravy]

12 minutes ago, saengd said:

I knew I could count on you to come up with a conspiracy theory, thanks that you didn't disappoint.

I knew that I could count on you to dismiss any research and continually do this in the picture below.

 

It doesn't take that long these days with the internet to make an objective decision, before dismissing anything.

 

Don't bother replying you won't get a response, as you have already shown that you have  a limited capacity for knowledge with your narrow definition of a pandemic.

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by Laughing Gravy

[rabas]

WHO knew.

[rosst]

2 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

As I sit here in China, where I have been for the last 7 weeks, I can assure you of the meaning below

 

(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.

I am sitting in a rural area of the Philippines and given the poor hygiene in the poorer areas, I believe it will explode when it gets here and it will overwhelm any small capability we have in this area.   Given the rapidity of the spread, it stands to reason that it will subside equally rapidly but the proportion of fatalities will be much higher due to the absence of ANY ICU FACILITIES within fifty Kilometers and very few capabilities of Oxygen masks.  As a reasonably healthy 73 year old, I am concerned and I rate my survival as 70% at best unless a suitable vaccine can be brought to market in sufficient quantities.

I have even considered returning to Australia due to the availability of acute care beds albeit these will also be in high demand.

I think there will eventually be 100% exposure unless a vaccine is available as I dont believe it is possible to eliminate every carrier, a very scary thought but that is the way I see it at the moment.

[Isaan sailor]

Wuhan virus—China’s plan for world domination...

[metisdead]

A post with a link to a questionable source has been removed. 

[nkg]

15 hours ago, rosst said:

I am sitting in a rural area of the Philippines and given the poor hygiene in the poorer areas, I believe it will explode when it gets here and it will overwhelm any small capability we have in this area.   Given the rapidity of the spread, it stands to reason that it will subside equally rapidly but the proportion of fatalities will be much higher due to the absence of ANY ICU FACILITIES within fifty Kilometers and very few capabilities of Oxygen masks.  As a reasonably healthy 73 year old, I am concerned and I rate my survival as 70% at best unless a suitable vaccine can be brought to market in sufficient quantities.

I have even considered returning to Australia due to the availability of acute care beds albeit these will also be in high demand.

I think there will eventually be 100% exposure unless a vaccine is available as I dont believe it is possible to eliminate every carrier, a very scary thought but that is the way I see it at the moment.

 

The Philippines has been relatively unaffected so far with only 52 cases and 2 deaths.

 

One theory is that COVID-19 is less infectious/deadly in hotter countries - India have had zero deaths despite their 1.3 billion population.

 

There's an interesting scientific paper published a few days ago that supports this theory:

 

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3550308

 

I'm not saying that we should be complacent - far from it - but it would be a huge relief if countries like Thailand and the Philippines were spared the worst of it.

 

[URMySunshine]

18 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

Mother Nature is culling the herd. I am beginning to think we should just behave as normal and live and let die.

You really are without shame or empathy for your fellow man. Civilization and compassion seem to have passed you by. 

[UbonThani]

21 hours ago, saengd said:

You do understand what pandemic means!

Scare campaign.

[UbonThani]

2 hours ago, URMySunshine said:

You really are without shame or empathy for your fellow man. Civilization and compassion seem to have passed you by. 

No he's being real. 50m die a year all causes. Life and death is just a cycle.

 

This mass panic over 4k deaths is madness.