WHO says pandemic 'far from over' as daily cases hit record high

By Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge

 

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

 

GENEVA (Reuters) - New coronavirus cases had their biggest daily increase ever as the pandemic worsens globally and has yet to peak in central America, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, urging countries to press on with efforts to contains the virus.

 

"More than six months into the pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online briefing.

 

More than 136,000 new cases were reported worldwide on Sunday, the most in a single day so far, he said. Nearly 75% of them were reported from 10 countries, mostly in the Americas and South Asia.

 

In response to a question on China, WHO's top emergencies expert, Dr. Mike Ryan, said retrospective studies of how the outbreak has been addressed could wait, adding: "We need to focus now on what we are doing today to prevent second peaks."

 

Ryan also said infections in central American countries including Guatemala were still on the rise, and that they were "complex" epidemics.

 

"I think this is a time of great concern," he said, calling for strong government leadership and international support for the region.

 

Brazil is now one of the hotspots of the pandemic, with the second highest number of confirmed cases, behind only the United States, and a death toll that last week surpassed Italy's.

 

After removing cumulative numbers for coronavirus deaths in Brazil from a national website, the Health Ministry sowed further confusion and controversy by releasing two contradictory sets of figures for the latest tally of infection cases and fatalities.

 

Ryan said Brazil's data had been "extremely detailed" so far but stressed it was important for Brazilians to understand where the virus is and how to manage risk, and that the WHO hoped communication would be "consistent and transparent".

 

Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist, said that a "comprehensive approach" was essential in South America.

 

More than 7 million people have been reported infected with the coronavirus globally and over 400,000 have died.

 

"This is far from over," van Kerkhove said.

 

At least half of Singapore's newly discovered coronavirus cases show no symptoms, the co-head of the government's virus taskforce told Reuters on Monday, reinforcing the city-state's decision to ease lockdown restrictions very gradually.

 

Van Kerkhove said that many countries doing contact tracing had identified asymptomatic cases but were not finding that they caused further spread of the virus, adding: "It is very rare".

 

Ryan, asked about technical cooperation with the United States after President Donald Trump's announcement 10 days ago that it was terminating its relationship with the WHO, said the WHO relies heavily on experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

 

"We will continue to do that until we are otherwise instructed or informed," he added.

 

(Editing by Michael Shields and Catherine Evans)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-09

 

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i guess the protesters world wide didn't get the memo ?

The Flu is a pandemic, Colds are a pandemic - they spread across every nation.

 

Its time we accept that Covid-19 is here to stay and we will have to live with it.

 

A vaccine would be great. But lets see some true numbers.

 

How many has Covid-19 actually killed? I don't mean 'the guy who got eaten by an alligator and died of Covid-19' i.e those with serious comorbidity, but how many people has Covid-19 killed? those who died because of Covid-19 who would otherwise be here if they had just caught a cold or seasonal influenza?.....

 

 

28 minutes ago, car720 said:

The greed of these people simply  boggles the mind.

hopefully they'll catch it

Quote

Van Kerkhove said that many countries doing contact tracing had identified asymptomatic cases but were not finding that they caused further spread of the virus, adding: "It is very rare".

So great idea to tell people to wear masks then.

Are people still taking advice from the WHO?? 

49 minutes ago, car720 said:

The greed of these people simply  boggles the mind.

agree .....  the greed and stupidity of the protesters ....   if they catch the virus they can blame themselves.

disgraceful ....   no common sense at all ....  just idiots placing the lives of everyone in the cities in danger.

 

13 minutes ago, LennyW said:

Are people still taking advice from the WHO?? 

I hope not. The WHO would keep western economies closed down as long as possible. It promotes reliance on the government for handouts that enslave people. We need to open up and get on with life. 

Most people have little or no risks, but were must also recognize those at risk (elderly or pre-existing conditions). 

Is China closed down?  

33 minutes ago, LennyW said:

Are people still taking advice from the WHO?? 

I wouldn't believe a word that the Chinese World Health Organisation said.

 

Interesting that we don't hear much about Africa. I doubt they have any of the PPE/Social distancing nonsense that we have to put up with but they don't seem to have had many deaths.

31 minutes ago, steven100 said:

agree .....  the greed and stupidity of the protesters ....   if they catch the virus they can blame themselves.

disgraceful ....   no common sense at all ....  just idiots placing the lives of everyone in the cities in danger.

 

Incredible that so many people are willing to risk getting some flu for a cause that is so much bigger than themselves. Unselfishness and deep respect for the protestors. Maybe you should try it some time, have a another purpose than sucking up to thai government?

5 minutes ago, zeamonkey said:

Incredible that so many people are willing to risk getting some flu for a cause that is so much bigger than themselves. Unselfishness and deep respect for the protestors. Maybe you should try it some time, have a another purpose than sucking up to thai government?

The only incredible thing is that it shows how much stupidity there is in the world now. 

Where has their realization of common sense gone ?    it shows they don't give a rats about the virus.

I guess they don't care if they get sick or die ....  and for what ' ...  

8 minutes ago, zeamonkey said:

Incredible that so many people are willing to risk getting some flu for a cause that is so much bigger than themselves. Unselfishness and deep respect for the protestors. Maybe you should try it some time, have a another purpose than sucking up to thai government?

maybe you should join them in solidarity ...

.

Edited June 9, 20206 yr by LennyW

The pandemic may not be over, but the fad is.

 

Before the pandemic fad, it was the China fad, and before that the impeachment fad...now it is the protests and riots fad, and soon it will be something else.

 

We live in a fast food-fast news world, with people having the attention span of a 5 year old child, and needing constantly renewed entertainment, which the news channels feel obliged to provide.

 

If aliens from outer space were to land in Central Park, they wouldn't get more than a few weeks of attention, before something more important would pop up, such as a Kardashian wedding or a Trump tweet.

 

Just a few weeks ago, having 100 daily deaths was justification for locking down the populations, now a similar number is justification to end the lockdowns and open the borders because, well...who cares?

 

 

9 minutes ago, steven100 said:

The only incredible thing is that it shows how much stupidity there is in the world now. 

Where has their realization of common sense gone ?    it shows they don't give a rats about the virus.

I guess they don't care if they get sick or die ....  and for what ' ...  

Your are the most narrow and closed minded person i have ever replied to, wont make that mistake again. You understand absolutely noting, like a small child just repeating what your dad told you is truth. 

Maybe you should take a trip to spain to lighten up.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/11800115/nightclubs-discos-spain-coronavirus-dancing-ban/

 

Edited June 9, 20206 yr by zeamonkey

3 minutes ago, zeamonkey said:

Your are the most narrow and closed minded person i have ever replied to, wont make that mistake again. You understand absolutely noting, like a small child just repeating what your dad told you is truth. 

then please enlighten me why you feel the protest is fine and it's not a health concern  .... 

5 minutes ago, zeamonkey said:

Your are the most narrow and closed minded person i have ever replied to, wont make that mistake again. You understand absolutely noting, like a small child just repeating what your dad told you is truth. 

Maybe you should take a trip to spain to lighten up.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/11800115/nightclubs-discos-spain-coronavirus-dancing-ban/

 

so are you saying you feel it's ok to get together in huge crowds and protest and there is no health issue or concern about the virus being transmitted ...   ??

8 minutes ago, steven100 said:

then please enlighten me why you feel the protest is fine and it's not a health concern  .... 

Im a believer in herd immunity (sweden) so there is nothing about these protests that bother me healthwise. And I believe in freedom and personal freedom to choose. Its a mindset that i think you will struggle to understand. What WHO says i dont even read, their interests are very far from the peoples interests. I dont believe a word or statistic from any government or organisation. Its all based on what is in their best interests.

 

Dont be a child and change your post......it doestn change my answer. HERD IMMUNITY is what my god preach, yours preach something different. Are you telling me only your religion is correct?

Edited June 9, 20206 yr by zeamonkey

1 hour ago, LennyW said:

Are people still taking advice from the WHO?? 

Or the WHO’s Who? Listen to Trump. He needs to win an election.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Van Kerkhove said that many countries doing contact tracing had identified asymptomatic cases but were not finding that they caused further spread of the virus, adding: "It is very rare".

Thats  going to upset the mask   supporters.

36 minutes ago, zeamonkey said:

Are you telling me only your religion is correct?

No theyr e  all wrong including yours.

41 minutes ago, steven100 said:

so are you saying you feel it's ok to get together in huge crowds and protest and there is no health issue or concern about the virus being transmitted ...   ??

If you run the army its ok, apparently.

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

The Flu is a pandemic, Colds are a pandemic - they spread across every nation.

 

Its time we accept that Covid-19 is here to stay and we will have to live with it.

 

A vaccine would be great. But lets see some true numbers.

 

How many has Covid-19 actually killed? I don't mean 'the guy who got eaten by an alligator and died of Covid-19' i.e those with serious comorbidity, but how many people has Covid-19 killed? those who died because of Covid-19 who would otherwise be here if they had just caught a cold or seasonal influenza?.....

 

 

I  did  mention that in the Uk in 99-2000 in one week there were 12000 deaths from normal  flu,  no  lockdowns then or  panic.

2 hours ago, Logosone said:

So great idea to tell people to wear masks then.

This is the problem you see, too  much info that makes  zero sense, whats anyone  supposed to believe. 

The response to COVID19 has been a ridiculous panic compared to the measured response to the Hong Kong flu which was possibly even more deadly.

.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/coronavirus-crisis-lessons-1968-hong-kong-flu-pandemic/

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

I wouldn't believe a word that the Chinese World Health Organisation said.

 

Interesting that we don't hear much about Africa. I doubt they have any of the PPE/Social distancing nonsense that we have to put up with but they don't seem to have had many deaths.

It's there if you care to look for it. Personally, I'm not interested, but if you are look here:

 

https://www.africanews.com/2020/06/08/coronavirus-in-africa-breakdown-of-infected-virus-free-countries/

1 hour ago, checkered flag said:

I hope not. The WHO would keep western economies closed down as long as possible. It promotes reliance on the government for handouts that enslave people. We need to open up and get on with life. 

Most people have little or no risks, but were must also recognize those at risk (elderly or pre-existing conditions). 

Is China closed down?  

Largely, yes. As far as international travel goes.

25 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

The response to COVID19 has been a ridiculous panic compared to the measured response to the Hong Kong flu which was possibly even more deadly.

.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/coronavirus-crisis-lessons-1968-hong-kong-flu-pandemic/

Can't compare the 2. One was much more deadly, so killed itself.

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Can't compare the 2. One was much more deadly, so killed itself.

They had a vaccine.

I've got no faith whatsoever in WHO's Dr Tedros. I'm still dumbfounded on how he could have been appointed with his track record and dumbfounded that there seems to be no mechanism to remove him from office in the face of serious blunders.

 

His appointment back on the 21st Oct 2017 of Robert Mugabe the Zimbabwean President as the official WHO goodwill Ambassador at the time was outrageous. What planet is he on to have made such as decision! An outcry from rights groups, governments and donors led to the appointment then being terminated the following day on the 22nd Oct. 

 

Another high level appointment that is still ongoing was his decision to appoint for WHO, Elizabeth Iro as WHO’s Chief Nursing Officer. What? She comes from the Cook Islands, that has a population of just 17,379 people. Her qualification as a nurse then lead her to become the Cook Islands Health Minister, obviously in Dr Tedros's eyes that was enough for her to then lead WHO in her Nuring Officer role and its worldwide commitments. I was watching him lauding her appointment as one of his great achievements.

 

WHO has a serious credibility problem not least is now its conflicting statements from this idiot. 

 

The timing of this confusion of asymptomatic cases that also does not take into account presymptomatic cases, with their mask flip-flop is amazing.