Countries must not squander chance to control coronavirus: WHO

[webfact]

Countries must not squander chance to control coronavirus: WHO

By John Revill and Stephanie Nebehay

 

FILE PHOTO: Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference on the situation of the coronavirus (COVID-2019), in Geneva, Switzerland, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

 

ZURICH/GENEVA (Reuters) - Countries that have locked down their populations to prevent the spread of coronavirus need to put a premium on finding new cases and doing everything they can "to suppress and control" the virus, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

 

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said U.S. President Donald Trump had displayed "political commitment" and "leadership" to fight the growing epidemic in the United States.

 

The WHO had warned on Tuesday the United States could become the global epicenter of the pandemic, as India announced a full 24-hour, nationwide lockdown in the world's second-most populous country.

 

Tedros, speaking at a news conference, also praised the "difficult but wise decision" taken on Tuesday to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, saying it aimed to safeguard the health of athletes and spectators.

 

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that countries which have locked down their populations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus need to use the time to find and attack the virus.

 

He said some countries had wasted time in marshalling resources to combat the outbreak, however.

 

"We have been saying to the world that the window of opportunity is narrowing and the time to act was actually more than a month ago, two months ago," Tedros said.

 

"But we still believe that there is opportunity. I think we squandered the first window of opportunity. This is a second opportunity which we should not squander and do everything to suppress and control this virus."

 

WHO officials warned again the world faced a "significant shortage" of personal protection equipment for health workers, particularly masks, gloves, gowns and face shields.

 

Tedros was due to seek support for ramping up production and funding from Group of 20 leaders holding a summit on Thursday, the officials said.

 

New York's governor said on Wednesday there were tentative signs that restrictions were slowing the spread of the coronavirus in his state though its situation remained dire, while the crisis deepened in hard-hit New Orleans and other parts of the United States.

 

Tedros, asked about Trump's management of the crisis, said it required political leadership.

 

"And that's exactly what he is doing, which we appreciate. Because fighting this pandemic needs political commitment and commitment at the highest level possible.

 

"But not only the whole-of-government approach, but the other (things) like expanding testing and the other recommendations we are making are also in play, and he takes that seriously and that is what we see," he added.

 

On India, Tedros said: "India has the capacity, and it's very important and good to see that India is taking early measures. This will help you to suppress and control it as soon as possible before it gets serious.

 

"So it's very important, like what is happening now in India which we really commend to cut it from the bud, when you only have 606 cases."

 

(Reporting by John Revill and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-26

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Laughing Gravy]

How hypocritical of the organisation who had the chance in January and Early February to make it a pandemic but did as their masters told them.

 

The WHO have a lot to answer for.

[stuhan]

This virus took the world by surprise,if anything it has taught us that we must be prepared for this happening again.Prevention is better than the cure and could have saved many,many lives,we must all work together now to stop this virus spreading.

[cornishcarlos]

A lot of governments around the world will be taking advantage of this to keep controls in place, "just in case we have another virus"...

Perfect opportunity to clamp down on, the ever increasing, dissent of the minions !!

[Surelynot]

Like China is now do they mean?

[Logosone]

The WHO finally got it right.

 

Listen to what they're saying. The way to defeat the virus is to test, identify and isolate.

 

To just isolate the people at home will not defeat the virus. The fight has to be taken to the virus.

 

Testing, identifying and isolating is the way to defeat it, like Germany is doing.

 

Either that or going for herd immunity. Social isolation is no solution and at best merely delays.

 

The WHO is right on this.

[brain150]

Well ... that's probably something they learned from the SIMULATION they did in October 2019 !!!

 

 

[Scot123]

WHO needs shut down as it has shown itself to the world how currupt and you are just like the UN. Time we take back control of our own country's well being. 

Edited March 26, 2020 by Scot123
Change

[4MyEgo]

5 hours ago, stuhan said:

This virus took the world by surprise,if anything it has taught us that we must be prepared for this happening again.Prevention is better than the cure and could have saved many,many lives,we must all work together now to stop this virus spreading.

It was all a well executed plan in the making, surprise for the masses yes, for the instigators, no, this is all a pilot to see how well they can control the masses for the future, to what extent, I have no idea, but we are almost a cashless society and facial recognition is everywhere, biometrics at airports of most countries, what next, the chip inserted under our skin like in Sweden ?

 

 

 

[Krataiboy]

Just how big a threat to the world is COVID-19? A surprising source has poured official cold water on the significance of the threat posed by the pandemic in Britain.

 

The UK Government’s own top health experts have officially downgraded the status of the corona virus blamed for 9,529 infections and 465 deaths.

 

Their shock conclusions were published on the Public Health England website a week ago - to a deafening silence from the mainstream media busy ramping up the apocryphal rhetoric.

 

The unexpected turnaround by his health boffins failed to deter Boris Johnson from pressing ahead with plans for a nationwide lockdown, due to be nodded through by the Commons today.

 

The official government announcement on the downgrade is buried among a mass of routine virus-related information on the health authority website. It states:

 

"COVID-19 is no longer considered to be a high consequence infectious diseases (HCID) in the UK.

"The 4 nations public health HCID group made an interim recommendation in January 2020 to classify COVID-19 as an HCID. This was based on consideration of the UK HCID criteria about the virus and the disease with information available during the early stages of the outbreak. 

"Now that more is known about COVID-19, the public health bodies in the UK have reviewed the most up to date information about COVID-19 against the UK HCID criteria. They have determined that several features have now changed; in particular, more information is available about mortality rates (low overall), and there is now greater clinical awareness and a specific and sensitive laboratory test, the availability of which continues to increase.

"The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) is also of the opinion that COVID-19 should no longer be classified as an HCID."

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/high-consequence-infectious-diseases-hcid#status-of-covid-19

 

Had this crucial announcement received the immediate publicity it deserved, the Government would almost certainly have faced a backlash over their lockdown plan’s harmful impact on the national economy and human rights.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like a case of too little too late.

 

For a deeper analysis of this extraordinary situation:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-DohJ16gO8

 

[Proboscis]

7 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

How hypocritical of the organisation who had the chance in January and Early February to make it a pandemic but did as their masters told them.

 

The WHO have a lot to answer for.

Their masters, as you put it, is the World Health Assembly. All countries, including yours, have representation on that assembly. WHy don't you contact your government and make your concerns known.

 

In the meantime, a pandemic is an outbreak that is now in every country in the world. Unless you wish the WHO to change the meaning of words by fiat (which it would not be allowed by the World Health Assembly to do), the fact was that in January and early Feb the virus was not prevalent in almost every country in the world.

[Laughing Gravy]

2 hours ago, Proboscis said:

the fact was that in January and early Feb the virus was not prevalent in almost every country in the world.

Well it was in China where I am and as Thailand was well aware of the situation welcomed open arms the Chinese tourists.

 

2 hours ago, Proboscis said:

WHy don't you contact your government and make your concerns known.

You sound like some liberal Labourite. My government the UK don't and never have given a rats buttocks about its citizens. So pointless.

 

2 hours ago, Proboscis said:

n the meantime, a pandemic is an outbreak that is now in every country in the world

It was a pandemic here in China just not the term used by the WHO.

 

You will be telling us all next that the numbers are correct who have contracted the virus.

2 hours ago, Proboscis said:

All countries, including yours, have representation on that assembly.

Like the UN who have seats we all know 5 countries have the monopoly and all the other countries together means nothing.

 

You make it sound like a democracy.

[rice555]

[flyingtlger]

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is bone head. 

He should have declared the Coronavirus a pandemic 2 months ago, instead he enjoyed the limelight of being interviewed while people were dying.   

He should be FIRED!

 

[Chazar]

As  I  live and  breath.......Trevor McDonald

[Chazar]

12 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

It was all a well executed plan in the making, surprise for the masses yes, for the instigators, no, this is all a pilot to see how well they can control the masses for the future, to what extent, I have no idea, but we are almost a cashless society and facial recognition is everywhere, biometrics at airports of most countries, what next, the chip inserted under our skin like in Sweden ?

 

 

 

thats appalling..............should  have  posted  it April 1st though

[URMySunshine]

11 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

Just how big a threat to the world is COVID-19? A surprising source has poured official cold water on the significance of the threat posed by the pandemic in Britain.

 

The UK Government’s own top health experts have officially downgraded the status of the corona virus blamed for 9,529 infections and 465 deaths.

 

Their shock conclusions were published on the Public Health England website a week ago - to a deafening silence from the mainstream media busy ramping up the apocryphal rhetoric.

 

The unexpected turnaround by his health boffins failed to deter Boris Johnson from pressing ahead with plans for a nationwide lockdown, due to be nodded through by the Commons today.

 

The official government announcement on the downgrade is buried among a mass of routine virus-related information on the health authority website. It states:

 

"COVID-19 is no longer considered to be a high consequence infectious diseases (HCID) in the UK.

"The 4 nations public health HCID group made an interim recommendation in January 2020 to classify COVID-19 as an HCID. This was based on consideration of the UK HCID criteria about the virus and the disease with information available during the early stages of the outbreak. 

"Now that more is known about COVID-19, the public health bodies in the UK have reviewed the most up to date information about COVID-19 against the UK HCID criteria. They have determined that several features have now changed; in particular, more information is available about mortality rates (low overall), and there is now greater clinical awareness and a specific and sensitive laboratory test, the availability of which continues to increase.

"The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) is also of the opinion that COVID-19 should no longer be classified as an HCID."

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/high-consequence-infectious-diseases-hcid#status-of-covid-19

 

Had this crucial announcement received the immediate publicity it deserved, the Government would almost certainly have faced a backlash over their lockdown plan’s harmful impact on the national economy and human rights.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like a case of too little too late.

 

For a deeper analysis of this extraordinary situation:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-DohJ16gO8

 

You first and then you can report back as  to how this 'flu' felt. If we don't hear from you we will assume the worse. 

[Assurancetourix]

Why no post concerning Japan where live 126 million inhabitants on a relatively small surface.
one of the highest population densities in the world:
336 inhabitants / km2

 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/990/

Edited March 28, 2020 by Assurancetourix