WHO warns against rushed end to coronavirus lockdowns

By John Revill and Emma Farge

 

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured on the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) ahead of a meeting of the Emergency Committee on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

 

ZURICH/GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that countries emerging from restrictions to halt the new coronavirus must proceed "extremely carefully" or risk a rapid rise in new cases.

 

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries needed to ensure they had adequate measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 respiratory disease like tracking systems and quarantine provision.

 

"The risk of returning to lockdown remains very real if countries do not manage the transition extremely carefully and in a phased approach," he said at a virtual briefing in Geneva.

 

WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove supported his concerns about the disease which has infected 3.71 million globally and killed more than 258,000 people, according to a Reuters tally.

 

"If lockdown measures are lifted too quickly, the virus can take off," Van Kerkhove told the briefing.

 

Government-ordered lockdowns have become increasingly unpopular as countries suffer rising unemployment and economic activity grinds to a halt.

 

The eurozone economy will contract by a record 7.7% this year because of the pandemic, while U.S. private employers laid off 20.2 million workers last month as business shut their doors.

 

Some countries, like Germany, Spain and Italy have started to relax restrictions, while the U.S. President Trump has said his focus is on opening up the country again.

 

Soccer authorities have also started to consider how they can salvage interrupted competitions, with Germany's Bundesliga getting permission to restart later this month.

 

FIRE RAGING

WHO official Mike Ryan said it was up to governments and sporting federations to decide how and when to restart, adding the U.N. organisaton would offer risk management advice if needed.

 

Tedros, who has come under fire mainly from the Trump administration for his handling of the outbreak, said that he would conduct an assessment of the WHO's actions when the pandemic recedes.

 

"While the fire is raging I think our focus should not be divided," he said.

 

Tedros also defended the WHO's record on warning about the potential for human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus, saying it informed the world in the first half of January.

 

The Geneva-based body has been accused of being "China- centric" by top donor the United States which has cut off funding to the body.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed his criticism on China on Wednesday, blaming the country for the deaths the outbreak has caused and demanding Beijing share information about the outbreak.

 

The WHO, which is preparing another mission to China to discover the animal origin of the virus, treated the country no differently to any of its 194 members, Tedros said.

 

"The rule we have in WHO and other UN agencies is that when a member state reports we post as is," Tedros said.

 

"The most important thing is our guidance before, during and after 14 January included the likelihood of human to human transmission that helped countries to prepare, he added. "This is the whole truth."

 

(Reporting by John Revill and Emma Farge; Editing by Michael Shields and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-07

 

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8 minutes ago, webfact said:

WHO warns against rushed end to coronavirus lockdowns

Of course they do. When things go back to normal they go back to what they were before.

so tell me WHO the <deleted> are you.

Longer lockdowns benefit Chinese CP and their economic plan of dominating. Interesting video I've just watched with General Robert Spalding who said that China was buying up stocks of PPE in early January and now they are selling them back at a profit.

The approach seems to be sensible and reasonable to me.

 

However,I should imagine that once the lockdown restrictions come off it will be difficult to reinstate them with any degree of disciplined enthusiasm..

 

What I observe around me in my home country is that sanitary and social distancing procedures are beginning to fail as "familiarity" has set in with the notion that the lockdown will soon end.

Sure, keep shilling for China and keep the rest of the world down.

Lockdown is only for the little people, as Professor Ferguson knows, after preaching lockdown he would go on Ok Cupid to try and make as many appointments with women as possible. This depite knowing he was just infected. And then he would meet up with them, ah screw lockdown, it's for the little people, have his sex party, and then go right back on TV to preach lockdown.

 

It's a good thing this nonsensical, hypocritical and useless lockdown nonsense is now over.

 

Enforced social distancing failed in the UK. Countries that never had mandatory lockdowns like Sweden or Japan fared far better.

10 minutes ago, Logosone said:

Lockdown is only for the little people, as Professor Ferguson knows, after preaching lockdown he would go on Ok Cupid to try and make as many appointments with women as possible. This depite knowing he was just infected. And then he would meet up with them, ah screw lockdown, it's for the little people, have his sex party, and then go right back on TV to preach lockdown.

 

It's a good thing this nonsensical, hypocritical and useless lockdown nonsense is now over.

 

Enforced social distancing failed in the UK. Countries that never had mandatory lockdowns like Sweden or Japan fared far better.

Enforced social distancing failed in the UK, yes it has. There are queues outside shops spaced out, but inside no ones takes any notice apart from a few scared types who hide when they see another human. The Mail Online is saying no pubs or restaurants until end of August, so that will limit the spread and will have a country full of bored people. I do hope Thailand or Malaysia open next month or July, I don't think I can stand another 3 months of this, had enough after 6 weeks here????

Edited May 6, 20206 yr by tribalfusion001

13 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

However,I should imagine that once the lockdown restrictions come off it will be difficult to reinstate them with any degree of disciplined enthusiasm..

It was difficult enough this time. When the likes of CNN anchor Chris Cuomo broke his quaranteen and lockdown that his station and viewers are huge fans of.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8219809/Bicyclist-verbally-attacked-CNNs-Chris-Cuomo-slammed-host-bully.html

 

 and the guy responsible for plotting the UK's lockdown forcing millions to stay home because it is so neccessary, yet he can drive around willynilly around having affairs with a left wing extremist.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/05/uk/neil-ferguson-imperial-coronavirus-sage-gbr-intl/index.html

 

Well, sorry to say, but when the elitists responsible for crafting the lockdowns, and the news stations that love it and run propaganda supporting it 24/7 are caught breaking their own rules, well, you know it was all a load of rubbish. Policies crafted for ulterior motives I suspect.

I think that by now WHO lost any little credit it had and not many many people will put much stock into what they have to say now...

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

I think that by now WHO lost any little credit it had and not many many people will put much stock into what they have to say now...

I am very sure that most sovereign states give them credit as well as attending to the advice of their own medical authorities as required.

The individual states are then,of course,free and able to make their own appropriate decisions as it effects them.

 

Very fortunately for the planet,the galaxy and indeed the universe,no nation has to follow the advice of any posting member of TVF.

30 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Very fortunately for the planet,the galaxy and indeed the universe,no nation has to follow the advice of any posting member of TVF.

I agree and will be disregarding the "advice" given on these pages about wearing a mask.

Who's who

Dr WHO go back in your Tardis to China you are discredited

Trump has listed the criteria thst states need before they can open.

 

Not 1 state has reached that criteria yet 43 will open and trump agrees with it.

 

The embodiment of stupidity.

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

I think that by now WHO lost any little credit it had and not many many people will put much stock into what they have to say now...

WHO issued guidance on COVID19 on 24th January, measures weren't taken until 24th March in the UK.

There's a suggestion that the wildly-differing numbers on COVID19 deaths could be down to differences in counting in different countries, for example:

In the UK people are counted as having died of COVID19 even if they have an existing severe health condition. Whereas in Germany people are recorded as having died form an underlying severe health condition even if they had COVID19.

Some COVID19 sufferers were un-diagnosed. Many of the people who tested positive were otherwise young, fit & healthy, which would make the infected/death ratio look much less bad.
 

7 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Longer lockdowns benefit Chinese CP and their economic plan of dominating. Interesting video I've just watched with General Robert Spalding who said that China was buying up stocks of PPE in early January and now they are selling them back at a profit.

Nonsense! The Chinese were already well on the way towards dominance before the pandemic and did not need it.

As an exporting country, China knows its GOP growth rate depends on the growth rate of other countries. As lockdowns have a negative impact on economic growth, they get no benefit from it.

2 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

There's a suggestion that the wildly-differing numbers on COVID19 deaths could be down to differences in counting in different countries, for example:

In the UK people are counted as having died of COVID19 even if they have an existing severe health condition. Whereas in Germany people are recorded as having died form an underlying severe health condition even if they had COVID19.

Some COVID19 sufferers were un-diagnosed. Many of the people who tested positive were otherwise young, fit & healthy, which would make the infected/death ratio look much less bad.
 

And that suggestion is of course 100,000 percent incorrect.

 

In Germany's it's exactly the other way around, people who have been diagnosed with Covid19, if they die are logged as having died of Covid19.

 

Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch institute has clarified this point in his briefings:

 

"Lothar Wieler, der Präsident des Robert Koch-Instituts (RKI), das in Deutschland für Krankheitsüberwachung und Prävention zuständig ist, sagte in einem seiner aktuellen Corona-Lageberichte: "Bei uns gilt jemand als Corona-Todesfall, bei dem eine Corona-Infektion nachgewiesen wurde." 

 

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/faktenfuchs-so-werden-corona-todesfaelle-gezaehlt,RtnpYVL

 

So Germany's counting of Covid19 deaths is absolutely above board, and the exact opposite of what you describe. 

 

On the contrary, Germany's approach runs the risk of overestimating the number of Covid19 dead, because a patient infected with Covid19 could have died of other causes than Covid19. But because you'd have to do an autopsy to be sure, Germany just counts them as Covid19 deaths.

 

There can be no question whatsoever of Germany underestimating Covid19 deaths, if anything the opposite.

I expect most of the people at the WHO to go to jail for what they have done and continue to do.

I also hope that everybody that helps spreading this fear porn will have to stand trial also.

All Governments responsible for millions of people losing their jobs and businesses need to be held

accountable for their actions !!! ... which means pretty much ALL Governments !

 

The financiers of this coup need to be held accountable !!! Bill & Melinda Gates, The Rockefeller Foundation etc ....

 

Police and anybody enforcing the fully ridiculous measures and as such harming millions of people,

traumatising millions of children through isolation, social distancing, wearing masks aso need to be released and

held accountable for their inhuman actions and crimes against humanity !

 

All assets of the involved need to be frozen and later released to help the people who have lost [or will lose] 

everything due to the ACTIONS taken ... the Virus did not do much harm as the numbers show ! The ACTIONS did !!!

 

 

I have lost hope that people start to think for themselves ... they let CNN and thew BBC do it for them.

 

Smart people don't wear masks and don't do social distancing !!!

All human culture in history in every country is about people coming together !!!

... with social distancing there would be no culture and no human race !!!

4 hours ago, Sujo said:

Trump has listed the criteria thst states need before they can open.

 

Not 1 state has reached that criteria yet 43 will open and trump agrees with it.

 

The embodiment of stupidity.

We neither need nor desire your permission or approval to do anything.

Your many unfactual reference free posts should be taken into consideration when evaluating your editorial opinion prices, and then we can quickly disregard them and continue with our lives somewhat saddened we did not win your approval however,  we will continue to open our states, let people begin to earn a living again and start rebuilding our economy.

No one is preventing you and the others with your mindset from staying locked in your rooms you, why don’t you stay locked down for the next two years?

10 minutes ago, CaptRon2 said:

We neither need nor desire your permission or approval to do anything.

Your many unfactual reference free posts should be taken into consideration when evaluating your editorial opinion prices, and then we can quickly disregard them and continue with our lives somewhat saddened we did not win your approval however,  we will continue to open our states, let people begin to earn a living again and start rebuilding our economy.

No one is preventing you and the others with your mindset from staying locked in your rooms you, why don’t you stay locked down for the next two years?

You have a reaction to his post or only to the person?

1 hour ago, brain150 said:

I expect most of the people at the WHO to go to jail for what they have done and continue to do.

I also hope that everybody that helps spreading this fear porn will have to stand trial also.

All Governments responsible for millions of people losing their jobs and businesses need to be held

accountable for their actions !!! ... which means pretty much ALL Governments !

 

The financiers of this coup need to be held accountable !!! Bill & Melinda Gates, The Rockefeller Foundation etc ....

 

Police and anybody enforcing the fully ridiculous measures and as such harming millions of people,

traumatising millions of children through isolation, social distancing, wearing masks aso need to be released and

held accountable for their inhuman actions and crimes against humanity !

 

All assets of the involved need to be frozen and later released to help the people who have lost [or will lose] 

everything due to the ACTIONS taken ... the Virus did not do much harm as the numbers show ! The ACTIONS did !!!

 

 

I have lost hope that people start to think for themselves ... they let CNN and thew BBC do it for them.

 

Smart people don't wear masks and don't do social distancing !!!

All human culture in history in every country is about people coming together !!!

... with social distancing there would be no culture and no human race !!!

Oh dear......certainly not mirroring his avatar!

10 hours ago, mr mr said:

so tell me WHO the <deleted> are you.

Good question! Many people fail to understand what it is and how it works.

You may be interesting to know that the most important unit of the WHO is the executive board, as its recommendations are always implemented (I.e. declaring emergencies). The board is composed of 34 members nominated by their respective government. They all currently hold a high position in their respective national health organisation. If you look at the list in the link below, you will find countries such as Germany, Israel, Italy, Australia, Japan, and the USA. It means that the health administrations of these 34 countries have direct access to any information and vote decisions.

https://apps.who.int/gb/gov/en/composition-of-the-board_en.html

The US member of the board, who is currently a top executive at the US Department of HHS, is also one of the 6 officers of the executive board.

https://apps.who.int/gb/gov/en/chairman-and-officers-of-the-executive-board_en.html

Edited May 7, 20206 yr by candide

Just remember, the WHO has China’s best interests in everything they say and do.

Does their latest warning contradict what they said and lauded the Swedish Model?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/02/world-misunderstands-swedish-response-coronavirus/

 

40 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Does their latest warning contradict what they said and lauded the Swedish Model?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/02/world-misunderstands-swedish-response-coronavirus/

 

It does. Not everyone is as smart as Mike Ryan in the WHO. It's a large organization. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

You have a reaction to his post or only to the person?

Are you commenting on my post or stalking me again

4 hours ago, Logosone said:

And that suggestion is of course 100,000 percent incorrect.

 

In Germany's it's exactly the other way around, people who have been diagnosed with Covid19, if they die are logged as having died of Covid19.

 

Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch institute has clarified this point in his briefings:

 

"Lothar Wieler, der Präsident des Robert Koch-Instituts (RKI), das in Deutschland für Krankheitsüberwachung und Prävention zuständig ist, sagte in einem seiner aktuellen Corona-Lageberichte: "Bei uns gilt jemand als Corona-Todesfall, bei dem eine Corona-Infektion nachgewiesen wurde." 

 

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/faktenfuchs-so-werden-corona-todesfaelle-gezaehlt,RtnpYVL

 

So Germany's counting of Covid19 deaths is absolutely above board, and the exact opposite of what you describe. 

 

On the contrary, Germany's approach runs the risk of overestimating the number of Covid19 dead, because a patient infected with Covid19 could have died of other causes than Covid19. But because you'd have to do an autopsy to be sure, Germany just counts them as Covid19 deaths.

 

There can be no question whatsoever of Germany underestimating Covid19 deaths, if anything the opposite.

This, from the BBC, flies in the face of that:

 

"...Germany counts deaths in care homes only if people have tested positive for the virus. Belgium, on the other hand, includes any death in which a doctor suspects coronavirus was involved.

So, does the virus need to be the main cause of death, or does any mention on a death certificate count?

Are you really comparing like with like?"

8 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

This, from the BBC, flies in the face of that:
"...Germany counts deaths in care homes only if people have tested positive for the virus. Belgium, on the other hand, includes any death in which a doctor suspects coronavirus was involved.

So, does the virus need to be the main cause of death, or does any mention on a death certificate count?

Are you really comparing like with like?"

 

No, that BBC article does not fly in the face of that at all. Not even a little.

 

You said "In the UK people are counted as having died of COVID19 even if they have an existing severe health condition. Whereas in Germany people are recorded as having died form an underlying severe health condition even if they had COVID19."

 

I then drew your attention to the fact that Germany does the exact opposite, if someone tested positive for Covid 19 they are recorded as having died of Covid19, no matter what they died of.

 

This BBC article actually confirms that. The quote you pasted "Germany counts deaths in care homes only if people have tested positive for the virus. Belgium, on the other hand, includes any death in which a doctor suspects coronavirus was involved." actually confirms that Germany counts deaths as being due to Covid 19 if that patient was tested positive for Covid 19.

 

So not at all what you claimed originally, "In the UK people are counted as having died of COVID19 even if they have an existing severe health condition. Whereas in Germany people are recorded as having died form an underlying severe health condition even if they had COVID19."

 

In fact your article goes so far as to say "France and Germany, for example, have been including deaths in care homes in the headline numbers they produce every day. But the daily figures for England referred only to deaths in hospitals until 29 April, when they started factoring in deaths in care homes as well."

 

The fact that Belgium counts people who died as having died of Covid 19 even when they did not test positive for Covid 19 is obviously a massive error and explains the huge mortality rate in Belgium. Thanks for drawing that to my attention.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/52311014