WHO fears virus ‘inaction’
The World Health Organisation yesterday declared coronavirus a pandemic, signalling that health experts believe efforts should be focused less on containing the virus and more on stockpiling materials, getting hospitals ready to handle an influx of patients and enacting social distancing policies.
‘‘We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction,’’ WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The declaration came as the number of novel coronavirus cases surpassed 120,000 worldwide. In the United States, where more than 30 people have been killed by the coronavirus, the total number of cases has doubled in a matter of days, surpassing 1000 late Wednesday.
The WHO’s announcement does not trigger any new funding, protocols or regulations. But it is an acknowledgment of reality.
For weeks now, the WHO has hesitated to make the declaration because there is little upside, and it could create widespread panic. ‘‘It may cause fear,’’ Tedros said at a briefing earlier this month.
But yesterday, Tedros noted the scale of the outbreak. ‘‘There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4291 people have lost their lives,’’ he said.
‘‘In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of coronavirus cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries to climb even higher.’’
Tedros cautioned that ‘‘pandemic’’ is not a word to be used lightly or carelessly – that if misused, it can cause unreasonable fear or spur resignation that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death. But he said he decided to use it because some countries did not act with enough speed or diligence.
In the past, health experts have used ‘‘pandemic’’ as a signal that efforts to contain an outbreak have failed and that countries should focus their efforts more on mitigating its effects through actions such as getting hospitals ready to handle an influx of patients, stockpiling materials and enacting social-distancing policies.
This outbreak has behaved differently, however, and the
WHO has stressed in recent weeks that some countries should focus on containment even as they begin ramping up mitigation efforts.
By working to contain the virus, countries with only a few cases can slow down the spread and buy time to work more on mitigation strategies, Tedros said.
The worst is yet to come with the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said.
Fauci told lawmakers at a congressional hearing on the Trump administration’s response to the spreading virus that with enough cases of community spread, where the origin is unclear, the situation becomes one ‘‘where you’re not going to be able to effectively and efficiently contain it.’’
‘‘The blended and comprehended approach should continue … it would be a mistake to abandon the containment strategy,’’ he said. ‘‘We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time.’’
US markets slid as coronavirus tightened its grip on
‘‘In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of coronavirus cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries to climb even higher.’’
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
WHO Director-General
the economy and the oil price war escalated. The Dow was off more than 1200 points yesterday.
House Democrats plan to vote today on a wide-ranging coronavirus relief package that will include expanded unemployment insurance, paid sick leave and food security assistance. But the effort shows how political leaders are moving in much different directions in their rushed attempts to contain the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
– Washington Post