Europe is epicentre of coronavirus pandemic - WHO

By Stephanie Nebehay

 

FILE PHOTO: Test tube with Corona virus name label is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

 

GENEVA (Reuters) - Europe has now become the epicentre of a coronavirus pandemic that has claimed 5,000 lives around the world, "a tragic milestone", the World Health Organization said on Friday.

 

More than 132,000 cases of the virus have been reported in 123 countries since it emerged in December in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference.

 

"Europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of world combined apart from China," he said in Geneva.

 

Tedros announced that the WHO was launching a coronavirus Solidarity Response Fund. This would to allow people and organisations to contribute to help fund masks, gloves, gowns and goggles for heath workers, as well as diagnostic kits and investment in research and development, including for vaccines.

 

Facebook <FB.O> will match up to $10 million in donations, while Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google will donate $5 million, the WHO and UN Foundation later announced in a joint statement.

 

Social distancing, where people avoid close proximity or touching, is a "tried and tested method" to slow the spread of a virus but "not a panacea" that will stop transmission, the WHO's top emergency expert Dr. Mike Ryan said.

 

Each country must decide on its own measures to protect its population, he said, adding: "But we've also consistently said that blanket travel measures in their own right will do nothing to protect an individual state."

 

Detection and isolation of infected people, as well as tracing their contacts and wider testing, must be part of a comprehensive strategy, Ryan said.

 

"As part of an overall comprehensive strategy, there is a place - particularly inside national borders - for potentially restricting movement between zones, as we've seen in certain places," he said.

 

"But there is rarely a justification for blanket bans, unless of course the context and the risk defines that."

 

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced sweeping travel restrictions to prevent people from 26 European countries - except for Britain and Ireland - from travelling to the United States in a bid to limit the virus spread.

 

A number of other countries in recent days have announced stepped up border checks, and cancelled flights to other countries, in an effort to contain the spread.

 

Trump on Friday declared a national emergency over the fast-spreading coronavirus, opening the door to providing what he said was about $50 billion in federal aid to fight the disease.

 

(Additional reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi in Zurich and Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alex Richardson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-14

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Lets be honest and call it what it is, 'the Wuhan virus...from China'.  Doesn't matter which country it is in,  that is what it is.  

12 minutes ago, Grumpy John said:

Lets be honest and call it what it is, 'the Wuhan virus...from China'.  Doesn't matter which country it is in,  that is what it is.  

Nobody have been calling it something else. By them using the word epicentre, seem to make you uncomfortable. That is only because lack of knowledge of the meaning of the word. It means exactly: "The central point of something", not it´s origin. At present time the central point of the virus and the negativity that follows has moved. The epicentre of the Coronavirus are today in Europe, and that is just a fact you have to deal and agree with.

No it's just because they are proactively testing.

A lot of the poorer countries haven't got the resources to do the same

30 minutes ago, Canuck1966 said:

No it's just because they are proactively testing.

A lot of the poorer countries haven't got the resources to do the same

That might be true, but we can only work with the information given because that´s the one we have at hand. Based on that, the epicentre has moved.

You do not know what countries that are testing more and which are not. To me it seems like Italy must have been overlooking the severity of the virus. If they had been taken it as a real threat from start, then they could have minimised the local outbreak.

 

Still based on the information we have, which might change. You might be right and I might be wrong. At present time nobody knows.

Edited March 13, 20206 yr by Matzzon

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30195-X/fulltext

 

"As of March 1, 2020, 79 968 patients in China and 7169 outside of China had tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

 

 Among Chinese patients, 2873 deaths had occurred, equivalent to a mortality rate of 3·6%"

 

When somebody can give an answer for this>

 

http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/

5 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Lets be honest and call it what it is, 'the Wuhan virus...from China'.  Doesn't matter which country it is in,  that is what it is.  

Yes, very correct.

But the thread is about "Europe is epicentre of coronavirus pandemic - WHO" not about the name of the virus, isn't it?

20 minutes ago, zhounan said:

When somebody can give an answer for this>

 

http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/

 

It's not a question....

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed this? The left wingers are all 'the world is ending' and the right wingers are all 'calm down it will all be OK'.  Not all on each side are saying the same of course - but I think there is something in that. 

 

IMO - calm down and relax - take precautions and follow the advice - the world is not ending - yet.  And I think it will take 2-3 months before we truly know which way it will go.  IMO  the world is over-panicing.  But what if they are right?

 

Some conspiracy troll posts and the replies have been removed. 

4 minutes ago, Canuck1966 said:

It's nice you believe the commies, one day you will wake up and smell the coffee

Yes dear,

 

Nurse!!

I love this line:

 

"Europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of world combined apart from China," he said in Geneva.

 

So other than the actual epicenter, China, Europe is the epicenter. And you people wonder why think WHO is a clown organization? Seriously?

12 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Lets be honest and call it what it is, 'the Wuhan virus...from China'.  Doesn't matter which country it is in,  that is what it is.  

Agreed. Political correctness stopped that but why didn't PC stop MERS title (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome)?  

End of the day it is a bat virus that spread in a dirty Wuhan slaughter market that was an ideal zoonotic  pathogen transmission point. 

And delusional Chinese leaders now trying to hoodwink their brainwashed communist collective citizens by claiming the virus was planted by US soldiers.  LM<deleted>AO.  Foil hat time.  

A post with unattributed content in a foreign language has been removed. 

12 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Lets be honest and call it what it is, 'the Wuhan virus...from China'.  Doesn't matter which country it is in,  that is what it is.  

Thanks for the Trump opinion heads up now I feel a lot better now - but hey it's just flu will be gone by April all under control. Viruses though don't have passports, or TM30s or the like. And I'll stick my neck out here - once this has ripped through countries in the next 2 - 3 months millions of folk are going to be very angry indeed and loud mouth liars spewing nonsense will be an easy lightning rod for their wrath regardless of the country they profess to lead.

Edited March 14, 20206 yr by URMySunshine

6 hours ago, AussieBob18 said:

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed this? The left wingers are all 'the world is ending' and the right wingers are all 'calm down it will all be OK'.  Not all on each side are saying the same of course - but I think there is something in that. 

 

IMO - calm down and relax - take precautions and follow the advice - the world is not ending - yet.  And I think it will take 2-3 months before we truly know which way it will go.  IMO  the world is over-panicing.  But what if they are right?

 

There is an obvious explanation. Unlike right wingers, left wingers don't believe what Trump says. They listen to health experts.

6 hours ago, AussieBob18 said:

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed this? The left wingers are all 'the world is ending' and the right wingers are all 'calm down it will all be OK'.  Not all on each side are saying the same of course - but I think there is something in that. 

 

IMO - calm down and relax - take precautions and follow the advice - the world is not ending - yet.  And I think it will take 2-3 months before we truly know which way it will go.  IMO  the world is over-panicing.  But what if they are right?

 

All good advice, but the world did end for 5,000 people that otherwise would not have . 

 

Just now, candide said:

There is an obvious explanation. Unlike right wingers, left wingers don't believe what Trump says. They listen to health experts.

As does Boris now after previously deriding experts. 

2 hours ago, candide said:

There is an obvious explanation. Unlike right wingers, left wingers don't believe what Trump says. They listen to health experts.

So health experts are telling you to be hysterical and emotional? Of course not. The post you replied to wasn't even about what you believe, but about calm and composure. But do tell us all how hysterics is the way to go.

2 minutes ago, candide said:

U.S. right wingers have a particular interpretation of being hysterical. During weeks they have accused anyone who did not buy Trump's downplaying as being hysterical: Dem/MSM panic, which experts? And similar BS...

That's exactly what I was referring to.

OK, thanks for that. When I think about hysteria, I am talking about actual hysteria, such as that mentioned in the thread about Americans being terrified. There is no reason to be terrified.

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

All good advice, but the world did end for 5,000 people that otherwise would not have . 

 

Hmmm. And  how  many others  from known treatable causes  not  heralded  as of concern?

 

In light of this development safe to say that shutting down travel from Europe is 

a forward thinking move by the trump administration.

14 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

In light of this development safe to say that shutting down travel from Europe is 

a forward thinking move by the trump administration.

Well, it will not change much as the virus is already quickly spreading inside the US. Maybe delay a little bit the peak.

Plus UK and Ireland are far from being isolated, I.e. there are around 2 million inbound EU travellers every month.

 

Unfortunately, whatever the country concerned, it will be impossible to stop it except by adopting the drastic authoritarian Chinese way. The only hope is to try to delay the big wave as long as possible, the time for the health system to improve a bit, I.e. improve organisation, install emergency infrastructure, produce more ventilators, masks, tests, etc...

Travel bans don't work. 

Ask Italy. 

16 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Nobody have been calling it something else. By them using the word epicentre, seem to make you uncomfortable. That is only because lack of knowledge of the meaning of the word. It means exactly: "The central point of something", not it´s origin. At present time the central point of the virus and the negativity that follows has moved. The epicentre of the Coronavirus are today in Europe, and that is just a fact you have to deal and agree with.

These days you have to explain everything....

"France's health minister Olivier Véran warned the public on Saturday that anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen and cortisone could be an aggravating factor in coronavirus infections." (By attenuating the immune system's response, taking an anti-inflammatory can therefore not only hinder the body's reaction to the entry of pathogens, but above all mask the signs of seriousness, thus delaying diagnosis. The same process is observed with cortisone)

"In case of fever take paracetamol. If you are already on a course of anti-inflammatories or if you are in doubt then consult your doctor,"

 

considered "fake" by german press

Edited March 14, 20206 yr by Opl

16 hours ago, Canuck1966 said:

No it's just because they are proactively testing.

A lot of the poorer countries haven't got the resources to do the same

They are not testing all contacts. They are cheating and testing only people who show symptoms.  Europe has bothced up big time as in the past epidemics. 

6 hours ago, aussienam said:

Agreed. Political correctness stopped that but why didn't PC stop MERS title (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome)?  

End of the day it is a bat virus that spread in a dirty Wuhan slaughter market that was an ideal zoonotic  pathogen transmission point. 

And delusional Chinese leaders now trying to hoodwink their brainwashed communist collective citizens by claiming the virus was planted by US soldiers.  LM<deleted>AO.  Foil hat time.  

Oh OK, a bat virus. And you are...Dr or Pr Who?
I am guessing you have seen a doco., so you then decide for yourself. Another expert!

5 minutes ago, ianezy0 said:

Oh OK, a bat virus. And you are...Dr or Pr Who?
I am guessing you have seen a doco., so you then decide for yourself. Another expert!

Lot of posters in this forum exhibit Dunning-Krugger effect in any dubject

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

 

Edited March 14, 20206 yr by Mulambana